Panzer Vor: New Battle
by potatovodka
Summary: The girls are thrown into the real world of armored combat, against a foe like they've never seen before. Rated MA for violence and situations.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Girls und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

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This is a little number made with input from some friends irl. I'll be dropping in some references from movies and the like, and some characters from my other stories will make appearances.

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Ch1: Introduction to mayhem

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The leaders of the Oarai and Pravda schools had arranged a series of exhibition matches on the mainland, both schools happy for the opportunity to get out on dry land and stretch their legs. They had their strategy meetings on opposing ends of the battlefield, which was at US Base 5117, the Sakibe Rifle range, which was easy to set up for tank battles of this size. Each team was also going to be given a slightly newer tank by the US and Japanese military commanders after watching the first battle between the primary teams from both schools. Oarai would receive an American M103A2 heavy tank, and Pravda would receive the oddball Object 279, as delivered from the Russian Army, which fit with their theme.

"Omigosh, this big one is so funny looking, but I LOVE IT!" Yukari gleamed, drooling over the new addition to their roster.

"Calm down, Yukari. I like this one too." Miho started. "We'll get to see this baby on the battlefield tomorrow."

Yukari slumped down after her outburst. "I know, I just really like tanks, you know."

Everyone nodded and smiled in agreement, and then went to take their positions for the start of the battle. When given the "Panzer Vor" order, all of the tanks rolled out in their usual formation. Yukari was notably eager to get the day finished so they could get to work with the new addition. She sat in her position and shook around in a little dance, humming the Anglerfish song. Soon enough, they met the first Pravda tank of the day, the T-34/76. They quickly assumed that this was a decoy, as it was alone, and they were making no attempts whatsoever to hide. They decided to drive around the hill to its rear and get a better angle which left them a bit less exposed to fire from other tanks that were going to be coming from Pravda's location. "Load one, Yukari." Miho called out.

Yukari loaded a round into the gun and called ready. The Panzer crept up into position, with only a portion of the turret skylining. The periscope couldn't get a clear view of the T-34, which had apparently spotted an Oarai tank, as it fired off in thier direction. Since no other team had called out that they were hit, they didn't think the T-34 hit its mark. The operators of the T-34 were seemingly unaware of the predators that were looking out over them. Miho ordered the tank forward, just enough that the gun had a clear shot. "I'm going to step out and try to see what we have going on here. I've got this really weird feeling about this." Miho said.

"What do you mean?" Saori asked.

"I don't want to fire if it means we can be compromised."

"Hey, I've got an idea." Yukari told Miho.

"What's that?"

"You all step out and look around, if it's safe and you give the signal, I'll fire at their tank."

"Not a bad idea. Everyone out, let's see if there's something we're missing."

Yukari took the gunner's seat after the rest of the crew had cleared out. They took up positions on the hill, using binoculars to look around, expecting to see another Pravda tank somewhere in the distance. "KV-2 Heavy Tank spotted, range appears to be... 1,500 meters." Hana called out. "We're within its engagement range, but the hill should give us enough cover."

Miho raised her hand to give the signal to fire, and the team heard a loud bang, followed by a distant report. It wasn't from their gun, though, as it sounded more like their tank was hit. "Aw, shoot. We're hit." Mako said, un enthusiastically, noting that the white flag had popped up.

Everyone looked around and noticed that they didn't see any smoke from one of the practice rounds. They also saw the gunner's door flung open, as if it had been ripped open. They all ran over to the side of the tank to see what was wrong. Yukari pulled herself out of the turret, shaking, and with her face covered in blood. The girls ran over and helped her out of the tank and into a seated position resting against the tank, shocked at what they saw. "What the hell was that?" Saori tried calling out over the radio, which appeared to be dead. "What kind of round was that?"

Miho looked up and saw a clean hole bored through the turret completely. What seemed to have happened was an armor-piercing round was used, and part of the turret was thrown into Yukari's face. Mako hurriedly grabbed the first aid kit and started trying to apply first aid to Yukari. Saori continually tried to call for assistance over the radio, which still seemed to be working, but there was no signal. "I... I... It hurts... so much." Yukari whimpered.

Saori took out the flare gun and sent one up to signal a problem. Before long, they were visited by tanks, but none they had ever seen, nor were in service to Pravda. They looked modern, which was out of place among the two to three generations old tanks. Saori snapped a picture of the unknown tanks with her phone, set it to record, then quickly put it away. Two soldiers stepped out of the tank and walked over, weapons at the ready. One of them appeared to be the vehicle commander, the other appeared to be the driver. Miho jumped up and put herself between the attackers and her team. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU"RE DOING?" Miho yelled. "You almost killed one of our team members!"

The unknown assailants spoke to each other in a language none of the girls understood. They both lowered their weapons and approached the girls. "Had I known this was what we were facing, I wouldn't have come out here today." The driver said, so the girls could understand them.

"Who is your tank commander?" The unknown commander asked.

"I'm the vehicle commander. Answer the question. What's your problem?" Miho spat out angrily.

"We were told by our leaders to come here and attack the armored force. We saw a tank, we fired."

"Do you not see the age of these vehicles? This one is 75 years old! There's no way you could think this was a standing armored force!"

The driver again spoke to the commander in the language the girls didn't understand. The commander pointed and the driver went back to his tank. "Please... Just let us go." Yukari said weakly, still spitting up blood.

"Save your strength, Yukarin." Mako said quietly.

The commander drew his pistol, which made everyone feel uneasy. Miho took a step toward the commander, putting her arms out to the sides. "I'm this team's commander, and I'm responsible for them. If you want to deal with them, you'll go through me."

"Such an example of bravery I have not seen in a long time. Even though outnumbered, outgunned and under trained, you still stand for your crew."

One of the unknown tanks aimed out to the battlefield and fired what seemed to be another armor piercing round. "WHY ARE YOU STILL SHOOTING?" Miho shouted.

"The only vehicle we see out here that poses any threat was that Soviet KV-2. They only fired at the tracks to disable it. The crew is unharmed."

Miho stood her ground as the commander stepped up to her. He turned his pistol around to offer it to Miho, who took it with a steady hand. "Defend yourself." He said in a calm voice. "You can call for help proper now, we've disabled the radio jammer."

The commander walked back to his tank, just as the Pravda T-34 came around the hill. The commander's tank aimed at the Pravda tank, which got them to stop. The unknown tanks popped smoke rounds for cover, then left the area. The radio started crackling back to life, with reports coming back from both sides. Pravda was calling out about the KV-2 being hit by an unapproved round, while others were calling out about the radio outage, and one coming through asking about the flare. Saori called back about the flare and gave details, including their position. The Pravda team ran from their T-34 to the Panzer to see if they could help. The US military dispatched a medevac helicopter to get Yukari to proper medical care. "You're gonna be okay. Help is coming." Mako told her.

...

Everyone had gone back to the military base command complex to be debriefed about what happened. The school leaders and military personnel asked them questions, but they were still in a state of shock. Saori put her phone on the table and slid it to the personnel. "I took a picture of the unknown tank, then started recording and put it in my pocket. I hope this helps."

The personnel looked at the picture, then listened to the audio, trying to figure something out. The US commander recognized the tank immediately, and the JGSDF commander recognized the language. They spoke to each other quietly to the side. "Excuse me, but what about Yukari? What's her condition?" Miho asked.

"Your friend Yukari will be okay." The US commander told her. "Her cheekbone is shattered, her lower jaw is broken and she had a few teeth knocked out, as well as having cuts on her face from the shrapnel. She's in surgery right now, but your first aid most likely saved her life."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. "God, she's gotta be in so much pain." Miho said quietly.

"Stand up." The commander told Miho.

She spoke as she stood up. "Is there anything else you need?"

The US and JGSDF commanders stood straight up and saluted Miho, who returned the gesture. "You have shown bravery in the face of the enemy. Just as their commander stated, you were outnumbered, outgunned and not trained well enough to fight them, but you still stood up for your crew and faced them down."

"If I may ask, who was it that attacked us?"

"Koreans." The JGSDF commander said.

"Are you sure?"

"I know the language they were speaking, and the American commander recognized the tank. There's no doubt, you were attacked by the Korean Army."

...

Just like in the manga, I intend to write info about new tanks as they are added.

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New vehicle for Oarai: US M103A2 heavy tank. Main armament: 120mm smoothbore gun. Secondary: Browning M-2 .50 hmg. Crew: 5 (commander, driver, gunner, 2 loaders). Armor: 127mm 60°, max 254mm. Engine: Continental AVDS-1790-2, V12, air cooled twin turbo diesel 750hp. The M103 was designed by the United States as a heavy tank capable of fighting the Soviet heavy tanks of the time. This vehicle never saw live combat.

New vehicle for Pravda: Soviet Object 279. Main armament: 130mm rifled gun. Secondary: 14.5x114mm KPVT coaxial machine gun. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor 217-319mm 30-50° turret, max 269mm hull. Engine: 2DG-8M diesel 1,000hp. Production numbers were limited due to cost and complexity. The tank features 4 sets of tracks instead of 2, which increased cross country ability. The tracks helped increase friction with the ground and shape of the hull were designed to keep the tank from flipping over in the event of a nuclear blast.

Korean: "M-2002" P'okp'ung-ho II. Main armament: 125mm smoothbore gun. Secondary: 14.5mm KPVT machine gun. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor: thickness classified, estimated 500mm vs HEAT. Engine: 1,000 HP diesel. Not much is known outside of Korea about this vehicle. It appears to be derived from Soviet and Chinese designs such as the T-68, T-72 and Type 88. Has limited nighttime fighting capability, as compared to other MBT.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Girls und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

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Ch2: Why can't we be friends?

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The following day, everyone went by the infirmary to see Yukari. She was resting, and the doctor's wouldn't let anyone except Yukari's parents in the room just yet. "The surgery was a success." Captain Ami Chono told the girls. "She'll be out of it for a little while, but she's okay. Your first aid really did save her life.

"Captain Chono, do you have any idea why the Koreans would attack us like that?" Miho asked.

"We're doing what we can to establish a motive. From the audio, they did just what they said they were ordered to do. They shot at a tank. I guess they got a little trigger happy, because they would have known an old Panzer like yours could never be any serious threat or fight to a P'okp'ung-Ho main battle tank."

"They did say they shot the tracks out of Pravda's KV-2 because it was the only one they were worried about." Saori said.

"Captain, may I ask you something about this?" Katyusha asked, oddly from beside Nonna and not on her shoulders.

"There's quite a few questions circulating already, but I'll try to answer."

"We're on a United States Military facility, which is also manned by the Japanese Army. How were the Koreans able to slip armor in this far?"

"You may have noticed the radio outage. The North Korean army has some of the strongest and most sophisticated communications and jamming equipment in the world. Even American detection equipment can be disrupted by their gear. As for location, we're not terribly far from the ocean. It wouldn't take much for the Korean military to mobilize and come this way."

"Is there any way to break through their jamming?" Nonna asked.

"The only tanks we know of that can communicate with no usable radio signal are our Type 10, the Russian T-90A and the Chinese ZTZ-99. They use laser based comms that aren't affected by traditional jamming signals. So long as they maintain line of sight, their comms are impervious."

Miho started feeling uneasy again. "Umm, we aren't... going to war with them, are we?" She asked.

"I really hope not. I'll make a few calls today and see what we can manage."

"What about our army? And for that fact, what about the American military?" Mako asked.

"The United States Military is under agreement to defend Japan in the event of a direct attack from a hostile nation." US Major Dennis Riley said. "Because the Korean army appeared to be hostile, they invaded an American installation, and because they took up an action with the intent of harming or killing Japanese or American civilians, we are obliged to help."

Captain Chono turned and saluted, as Major Riley returned the gesture. "Major, when can we expect assistance?"

"I've already informed my chain of command. Washington has already heard, and reinforcements are headed this way. We're sending tanks, anti-tank units, a handful of aircraft and supplies as well. It'll take about a week to mobilize enough equipment, troops and supplies to bolster security in the area. Units in Japan have already been notified, and are manning their posts right now. You could hardly sneeze right now without us finding out about it."

Miho leaned her head against the glass to Yukari's room with a tear forming. She felt terrible that this happened to her friend and teammate, and that it could have been prevented. She kept seeing Yukari stumbling out of the Panzer, face covered in blood. "I... kind of hate myself right now." Miho said, her voice breaking. "I ordered us into that position. I knew something felt weird, but I had no idea this was what would happen."

"Don't talk like that." Captain Chono said, putting a hand on Miho's shoulder. "It is bad, but it could've been worse. At least she's still alive. And trust me on this... we will make the Koreans pay."

"What's wrong with this world? If they were so advanced, they could've seen these tanks were no match! They had to have seen we're just high school girls!"

"I'm going to call command as soon as I get back to my office. We'll figure something out."

...

Miho sat awake in her bunk that night, unable to sleep. Mako, Hana and Saori noticed and went to her bedside to try and comfort her. They all felt bad about the events that had unfolded, and they all felt like they were somewhat to blame. Hana sat beside Miho in her bunk and put her arm around Miho. "I can't imagine how you're feeling right now." Hana started in a calm voice. "I feel kind of sick myself. She took up my position. I should've been in the gunner's seat, not her. I wish I could go back and change that."

"Any one of us would gladly trade with her if we could." Mako said.

"This is what we get, I suppose. Tanks are only really weapons of war. Bulldozers fitted with armor plating and a cannon. I really don't like it, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Katyusha, also unable to sleep, came over to try and comfort the others as well. "This wasn't your fault. Those Korean units knew the Panzer couldn't hope to fight them. They're just bullies."

"Yeah... bullies... And we're just high school girls, staring down the barrel of Korean military might." Miho replied, her voice starting to break again.

"This could just be intimidation or distraction." Katyusha continued. "They could be doing this to show how ruthless they can be, or they're trying to pull our eyes away for something else."

"Intimidation? Huh. Never thought of that. Maybe we should keep battling, just to show we aren't afraid. We'll have to make sure there's enough security in case something pops up, but stopping just because they want to push us around doesn't sit right with me."

The room fell silent for a moment, all eyes on Miho. "If you'll be willing to keep battling like we do, I'll talk to my teams and try to persuade them into the same." Katyusha told Miho.

"If we can get the military to watch everything, we can definitely do it." Miho started. "Okay. I feel better now. Let's get out there and practice with our new additions tomorrow."

...

Oarai and Pravda met on the field the next day for practice. They both read over the manuals for their tanks, and assumed their positions. Pravda was impressed with the performance of the Object 279. It took off fast and had a decent top speed for its size and weight. Oarai was similarly impressed with their M103A2. They waited to move over to the range until Captain Chono was nearby in her Type 10 MBT, should the Koreans attack again. Just as a precaution, both Pravda and Oarai had 3 live shells each, so they could fight until the Type 10 was in position.

Oarai wasn't very familiar with needing two loaders, one for the warhead, the other for the powder charge. They managed well enough however. They had to bring someone from Turtle team over to help, as Yukari was still out. Momo Kawashima gladly volunteered as an additional loader. "This is a big difference from the 38(t), but I like this one." Momo chirped.

They pulled onto the long range course and readied their guns. Hana aimed the sizable 120mm gun at the target downrange and let loose. The team wasn't used to a cannon as powerful as this one. Pravda was a little more at home in their Object 279, as they were used to larger guns like the 122mm in the IS-2 and the 152mm in the KV-2. The system cycled and they aimed downrange as well, the hefty 130mm rifled gun almost seemed able to kill from its sound alone. Both gunners were fairly accurate with the newer tanks and their fire control systems. The radio started to get raspy, until it went silent again. Everyone knew what was going on now, and both teams started scanning the field, but were unable to see anything. Pravda switched on the active thermal sights to see if they could find anything, which they did. They saw another P'okp'ung-Ho, and they readied a live round to send them a message. The Korean tank fired before the Object 279 could, but they weren't familiar with how to combat a tank like this. They fired another armor piercing round, which met the hull of the Object 279 at one of the smooth yet sloped sections. The spike literally bounced off. "Big mistake, buddy." Katyusha said. "Return fire."

The 130mm gun sent the high explosive anti tank round screaming toward the aggressor. The round seemed to connect, as they saw sparks and chunks flying off of the enemy's vehicle. "Quick, load a live round! We're going to give them a taste of their own damn medicine!" Miho snapped out.

The team loaded a live round into the gun and Hana aimed at the hostile armor and went to pull the trigger, but she locked up. "Come on, come on, I can do this..." Hana told herself, starting to feel sick. "Dammit, firing!"

The 120mm fired and the round struck the turret of the enemy tank. By now, Captain Chono had pulled up to the line in the Type 10. The teams backed off to give her room to work. The 120mm of the Type 10 fired what ended up being a white phosphorous round, coating the enemy tank with burning material to obscure their vision and to prevent the potential survivors from fleeing. The hatch was already open on the P'okp'ung-Ho, and some of the burning material got inside and ignited the ammunition, making the vehicle explode into thousands of pieces. When the radio signal cleared up, she called the other teams. "Everyone, stay back. I'm moving up to check for stragglers and then try to see where they came from. We have another Type 10 about to pull on the range for support."

...

Everyone had once again gathered for debrief, where both teams were also praised for their actions. "Once again, you ladies have acted bravely in the face of the enemy." Major Riley told them. "These tanks were a little more capable of fighting off the Koreans today than the tanks you were using before. Upon further inspection, we discovered that the Soviet tank blew the starboard side tracks off almost completely, and also ripped the engine away from the transmission, almost out of the tank. The American tank didn't do bad either. The round you fired jammed the turret, so they couldn't turn to fire."

"Were there survivors?" Miho asked.

"After the rounds your teams fired, yes. After the crew attempted to abandon and their hatch was open, the WP round the Captain fired set off their ammo, and there were NO survivors after that."

Both teams sat frozen, finding it hard to grasp that they essentially watched people die. The thoughts of being trapped in a tank, unable to run and being killed by their own ammunition raced through everyone's heads. "I hope you ladies don't feel too bad, now." Captain Chono told them. "They proved that they were going to try and kill you, so you were just defending yourselves. My shot is the one that finished them off."

"How were they able to get a bead on us so fast?" Katyusha asked.

"Your sights made it easy." Major Riley told them. "The Object 279, while a capable vehicle, uses active thermal sights. Theirs used passive. When your sights went active, you may as well have lit a flare and started waving it around. But luckily, the AP round they shot bounced off."

"Yes. All of you ladies did good out there today. Sadly, we couldn't find out where they were coming from, and nobody saw them coming. I guess we'll just have to keep going like we are until we do find out."

"Is there someone you can call that's closer?" Major Riley asked.

"She already has." Said General Kiyofumi Iwata, Commanding General of the JGSDF.

Both officers saluted the General, as he returned the salute. "Sir, what do we have now?"

"I'm expecting a call from a dear friend of mine to the northwest." General Kiyofumi said, almost predicting his phone ringing as he was finished talking, which he answered quickly. "Hello, General. Have you found anything out?... Yes... Yes... Okay, thank you. We will send a welcoming committee out to meet you in the morning."

"Will we have help sooner?" Major Riley asked.

"That was General Wanquan, with the People's Liberation Army, from China. He has a bone to pick with the Korean army, and it looks like he's found a good reason ta... talk it out. He's sending 100 tanks, 30 Q-5 Fantan attackers, as well as some other support. They'll make landfall here in the morning."

...

New vehicles:  
Chinese: ZTZ-99 MBT (Type 99). Main armament: ZPT98 125mm smoothbore gun with autoloader. Secondary: coaxial Type 85 heavy .50 machine gun. Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: total thickness and composition classified, what is known is laser dazzlers, explosive reactive armor, rolled homogeneous armor, transparent ceramics over what is believed to be composite armor. Engine: twin turbo diesel V8 1,500hp. The Type 99 is China's latest MBT, and people speculate it can hang with the best tanks in the world today. This is aided by the direct link communications equipment, which allows the crew to keep in communication with other tank crews and infantry, and is completely immune to radio jamming, so long as line of sight is maintained.

Japanese: Type 10 Hitomaru. Main armament: Japan steel works 120mm smoothbore with autoloader. Secondary: M2 .50 machine gun. Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, nano-crystal steel, ceramic composite armor, lightweight upper armor. Engine: V8 diesel 1,200hp. The Type 10 is equipped with onboard computer and communications equipment, allowing it to wirelessly share information with other tanks and infantry units, allowing the crew to continuously update their strategy, much in the same fashion as the Type 99.

Russian: T90A. Main armament: 2A46M 125mm smoothbore gun with autoloader. Secondary: .50 Kord Heavy machine gun. Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: steel composite with Kontakt-5 ERA, up to 1,500mm, electronic countermeasures. Engine: V-92S2 V12 diesel, 950hp. The T90A is a fearsome tank that has few rivals. One unit reported numerous direct RPG hits, while suffering little damage, and was able to continue fighting. It also features a similar direct communications ability like the Types 10 and 99. It employs an electronic countermeasures suite that can jam some thermal sights, as well as guided missiles.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Girls und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

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Ch3: Help arrives

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The morning came when Japanese General Kiyofumi was to meet with Chinese General Wanquan. The ship docked on schedule, and the flow of tanks, aircraft, troops and supplies began pouring out. The Generals met and saluted one another, followed by a handshake. "General Kiyofumi. As you may have guessed, my troops have been itching for the opportunity to fight." General Wanquan started. "We'll be fueled, loaded and ready to fight within an hour or so."

"In all honesty, I'm kind of starting to feel bad for the Korean units now." General Kiyofumi said.

"They shot at high school girls. Not once, but twice. To make it worse, they knew by the second time who was in the tanks!"

"No, I mean because now, they will be facing superior numbers, technology and training. They couldn't hope to win with the People's Liberation Army holding the line."

Oarai and Pravda teams were among the welcoming party. They were all eyes on the current generation tanks that were rolling around and lining up. They saw some at the back which looked slightly different than the other Type 99's that were readying. "What's up with those tanks in the back?" Miho asked.

"Those are Type 99 KM tanks. They feature larger guns, bigger engines, upgraded armor packages and the like. The Korean tanks will crumble like a brick under a jackhammer." General Wanquan replied.

"I don't suppose we'd get to use them?" Katyusha asked, slightly kiddingly.

General Wanquan spoke to General Kiyofumi in Chinese, which the girls didn't understand. "That may actually be a good idea. The Koreans won't be so likely to attack superior firepower, and you'd be better protected with the modern armor packages they have."

...

Enough of the day had gone by to allow the Chinese units to get into position and camouflage themselves. Both schools had their tanks outfitted with LOSCS (line of sight comms systems), infrared signaling and IFF (identification friend or foe) systems so the tanks would know their targets. Once ready, the schools took their places on the field. They steadily charged each other, with a new strategy in hand. Both schools were using a similar strategy, where the heavy tanks get used to punch through the enemy's line, since they could take more hits, then they'd be followed by light tanks and the heavier tanks would bring up the rear. Oarai found out just how serious of a problem the Object 279 was going to be early on. They were able to keep moving and still fire accurate shots, thanks to the Groza stabilizer, optical rangefinder and auto guidance systems. The StuG III managed what looked like it was going to be a solid shot on the Object 279, but the round bounced off of the sloped hull and burst in the air. This was not the case when it returned fire, and the StuG III was knocked out of the battle.

Other parts of Oarai's team learned from the mistake, noting that the angled armor was doing its job, just as it had the day before when the Korean armor piercing round bounced off the hull. The battle was heating up and losses on both sides were staying about even, with the heavier tanks making quick work of each others' lighter vehicles. At one point, the M103A2 and Object 279 met on the battlefield. They had a brief duel, almost like the Monitor and Merrimack, where neither could score a critical hit on the other. Things finally lined up just right, and both tanks fired at each other at the same time, scoring direct hits that popped the white flag on both tanks. "I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later. Good fight!" Katyusha called over the radio.

After that transmission, and as if on cue, the normal radio stopped working. "Oh boy, here we go." Miho said, slightly worried about what she knew was about to happen, but still comforted in knowing that they were being protected by the military forces around them.

All of the teams switched the LOSCS on and kept close to each other. Miho and Katyusha called over the radio to let everyone know that they were disabling the flag system so they could fight, as they once again had several live shells kept separate from the practice rounds they were using. "Korean tanks looks like they teleported into the middle of the battlefield!" Saori called out over the radio, noting that the Korean units seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

"Don't worry. My forces will handle them." General Wanquan called over the radio.

One of the Korean tanks took aim at the M103A2 and fired another armor piercing round, which struck the turret. The M103A2 had much thicker and more sloped armor than the Panzer did. The spike was only able to get stuck in the armor, but did not fully penetrate. Just as they were readying a live round, they heard planes flying overhead. They looked through the periscope and saw the Chinese Q-5 Fantan attackers flying overhead. The twin guns in the Q-5 let out a terrifying, almost buzzing sound as they fired at the Korean tank. The girls saw sparks flying around the Korean tank, as well as dirt popping up around it and underneath it, which also indicated that the rounds were completely passing through the vehicle. They flew around, and one of the Q-5's made a second run. This time, it fired an HJ-8E ATGM (anti tank guided missile) which met its mark with deadly efficiency. The tank was almost vaporized by the sheer destructive power, which shook the ground in all directions for a short distance. "Didn't I say we'd handle it?" General Wanquan chuckled over the comms.

"My god, they're killing people and laughing about it." Miho said, unaware that the comms channel was still open.

"Would you rather we let them kill you and your friends? I believe you know by now that the enemy certainly does not care for you. Besides, I take it you've already loaded a live warhead into your gun in order to shoot back?"

"That's beside the point! We're not trying to kill each other out here!"

"The General is right, you know." Captain Chono called out over the comms. "They don't care that you're high school girls. You've got what it takes to hold them off. I believe in you."

Across the battlefield, Pravda's KV-2 Heavy Tank was facing a similar dilemma. They had three live rounds as well, and they were preparing to fire on a Korean tank that had them dialed in. Once the opportunity showed itself, they fired. The round blew the engine out of the hostile tank, which started rolling to a stop. The hatch opened, and someone appeared to be trying to hop out. The Chinese tank crews did not care for prisoners, so they fired a HEAT round at the P'okp'ung-Ho. With devastating effect, the round ripped the hostile armor to pieces. "Hey, there were people about to surrender in there!" The Pravda crew called out, their blood running cold from what they just saw.

"Nonsense! The Korean army will not surrender! They would have tried to continue fighting on foot." General Wanquan called back. "I know, because I have seen them fight. They'll kill themselves before they surrender."

The M103A2 lined up a shot against a P'okp'ung-Ho and fired. The round met with good effect, where the turret and hull meet, which almost completely blew the turret out. They sat still for a moment, not sure of whether or not they had just killed anyone. "Did we... just... kill someone?" Miho asked, shakily.

She became so upset by the thought of killing someone that she threw up in the command station of the heavy tank. Hana sat still, frozen in place from shock, realizing that her pull of the trigger may have ended someone's life. Their fears were soon answered, as the Korean tank turned itself so the gun could fire back. The crew jumped back to life upon seeing that they were about to be shot at again. They started hearing a whistling sound coming from up high, which turned out to be an LT-PGB laser guided bomb, dropped from one of the Fantans. When the bomb struck, it was almost as if the ground erupted all around the hostile armor and pieces of the vehicle were blasted up into the air. The other Korean units started to fall back, but General Wanquan ordered the Fantans to pursue the fleeing tanks. He told them not to fire unless they shot at anyone else. The fleeing crews made the mistake of turning their guns up at the planes, which in turn hosed them down with anti tank rounds.

...

At the end of the day, none of the invading tanks remained, and all of their crews were dead. After debrief, the teams sat in the hallway chatting with each other. To everyone's surprise, one of the nurses wheeled Yukari out to see everyone. Her face was still heavily bandaged. "Yukari, I see you're doing a little better." Miho said with a smile.

"Mhm. Still weird to talk like this, but I'll be okay." Yukari said with a slight lisp, her face still partially numbed from the morphine they had given her for pain.

"You're a real trooper, Akyiama. So soon after serious injury, and you're out and about." Katyusha said. "We've been battling the enemy like never before. You'd love it."

"Stop trying to make me jealous." Yukari chuckled, still lisping and a bit light headed from the morphine.

"I guess your parents don't want you in a tank anymore, do they?" Mako asked.

"They haven't said anything about it. I'll let you know as soon as I know something."

...

New Vehicles  
Chinese: Type 99 KM. Main armament: 140mm or 155mm artillery. Secondary: Type 85 HMG. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor: total thickness and composition classified, what is known is laser dazzlers, explosive reactive armor, rolled homogeneous armor, transparent ceramics over what is believed to be composite armor. Engine: gas-turbine engine, 2,100hp. The Type 99KM is essentially the same as the base model, the main differences being a bigger gun, a need for a manual loader, and a more powerful engine.

Q-5 Fantan. Main armament: twin 23mm anti tank cannons. Secondary (as depicted here): HJ-8E ATGM, LT-PGB laser guided bomb. Armor: thickness vaires, forged aluminum. Engine: 2 WP-6A turbojet engines, 5,700 lbf thrust w/o afterburner. The Q-5 "Fantan" (NATO reporting code) is a copy of the Soviet MiG-19, with some modifications made to modernize. Used primarily as a ground attack fighter.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Girls und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

...

Ch4: The horror of armored combat.

...

After chatting with Yukari for awhile, the nurse said she needed to go back to rest some more and she said her goodbyes with the group for the time being. Both groups sent her pictures from their phones of the spectacular firefights between the schools to help keep her spirits up, but they left out the more aggressive pictures and video of what they were doing with the Koreans. Katyusha and Nonna decided to head outside for some fresh air, unaware of what was going on. They walked out and saw the remains of one of the P'okp'ung-Ho tanks going by on a lowboy trailer, presumably for research and then to be disassembled and potentially melted down for metal. Then, they saw something that made them feel ill. They saw a JGSDF HMV driving by, pulling a small trailer. The trailer had what appeared to be the corpses of the people who were in the Korean tanks. The bodies did not look like they were adults, rather more like high school girls. "Nonna... You saw that, didn't you?" Katyusha asked with a slight quiver in her voice.

"I kind of wish I hadn't" Nonna replied.

"I know what happened on the first day, but is that what we've seen since..." Katyusha continued, but trailed off upon a sudden thought. "What about the tank that Captain Chono coated with white phosphorous? Were they high school girls too?"

"They might have been, but I guess we'll never know. We all saw the explosion."

"Then the KV-2 team might have seen girls die as well..."

They both started feeling a chill up their spines at the thought of how ruthlessly the Japanese and Chinese armies had been engaging what was in all likelihood nothing but a bunch of high school girls like themselves. They thought of how cool headed Captain Chono had been after the destruction of the first Korean tank, and how General Wanquan almost seemed to be laughing at the thought of killing others. They tried to remain calm, lest they be seen and pulled away for more questioning. After a few minutes, they headed back inside to rejoin everyone. That night in their bunks, Katyusha and Nonna couldn't stay quiet about what they had seen. They told all of the other girls about it so they knew what they were up against.

...

The next morning after everyone had cleaned up and had breakfast, they all headed over to Hangar IV to start preparing for the day's battle. They walked in to see their usual tanks had been replaced by modern ones. Oarai had their usual tanks replaced by German tanks. Their Panzer had been replaced with a German Leopard 2A1, the StuG III had been replaced with a Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH2000) and their M3 Lee had been replaced by an American M1A1 Abrams. Pravda came out to find their Russian theme had been updated as well. Their T-34 and IS-2 tanks had been replaced by Russian T90A units, and their KV-2 had been replaced with a Russian 2S19 Msta/1K17. Miho, Hana, Mako and Saori ran over to their Leopard 2A1 to get a better look. They were surprised to see Yukari in the hangar, but they weren't surprised to see her trying to hug the German tank. "Hey, are we interrupting something here?" Miho chuckled.

"Ohmigosh you guys! I love these new tanks!" Yukari squealed, her lisp from missing teeth still evident.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be out of your room." Mako started. "Or have you been released yet?"

"I'm allowed to be out and about, I just haven't been cleared to get back in the tanks yet."

"Glad to see injury doesn't slow you down for long, Akiyama." Katyusha said with a smile.

"I'm so jealous that you all get to battle with these new tanks." Yukari chirped, looking over at Pravda's T90A tanks. "Yours look like they have red eyes on the turret. It's so cute looking!"

"I'm sure if you saw that monster in heavy combat, you wouldn't think it was so cute." Captain Chono spoke up.

"What do you mean? I like all of these tanks! Why wouldn't I think they were cute?"

Captain Chono was a little stunned at Yukari's love for tanks. "They just don't seem to be able to die. They take multiple direct hits from RPGs and other tanks, and they just keep going. So far as we've seen, not much that takes on a T90A is much more than a burning husk when the battle is over."

"That makes me feel even better." Katyusha chuckled.

Once everyone had a period to familiarize themselves with the manuals for their respective vehicles, they all headed out to the range for practice. Yukari stayed behind in the hangar, feeling extraordinarily jealous that all of the other girls had the opportunity to practice with their new vehicles, even if it wasn't a straight up battle yet. Oarai and Pravda squared off with each other to test their respective tanks' abilities to defend themselves. Oarai's Rabbit team was in the American tank, and they lined up a shot against one of Pravda's T90A's with their M1A1 Abrams. Ayumi saw the "red eyes" light up on the T90A and then the sight seemed to glitch out. The automatic smokescreen kicked in and popped several smoke rounds in front of the tank to further obscure itself. Ayumi decided to fire at the last known position of the Russian tank, and they scored a hit. Just as Captain Chono had said earlier, the T90A didn't seem to be phased by the impact of the round. Pravda fired back, also scoring a direct hit. In a similar fashion, the girls were shook up by the impact but the white flag didn't pop up.

Further down the field, Oarai and Pravda's artillery were facing off against each other as well. Hippo team was in the PzH2000, as they were accustomed to operating an assault gun. The computer lit up with information from the phased radar array, feeding data to the fire control system and telling Kiyomi what the weather conditions would do to the first round fired. She helped Caesar load the two part round into the breach then returned to her position as gunner. She pulled the trigger and the gun fired with a thunderous report like they had never heard before. The sheer force of the gun firing pushed the vehicle back against its parking brake, slightly raising the bow of the vehicle off of the ground. The round landed only a couple of feet away from Pravda's 2S19. They knew that the second round would most likely score a direct hit, since the radar array had gathered data on the round leaving the barrel. Pravda's 2S19 aimed up to return fire. They similarly hit very close to Oarai's artillery, and then both teams loaded another round to send at each other. The 155mm from the PzH2000 and the 152mm from the 2S19 passed very closely to each other while they were in the air. The rounds came down and both teams scored a direct hit, popping white flags on both vehicles.

Anglerfish team was in their Leopard 2A1, squaring off against Pravda's lead T90A. Both teams were excited to see what their new tanks could do against each other. Hana left the infrared sights off, anticipating the thermal disruption of the T90A's infrared jamming abilities, and making it so she had to manually aim. This was not outside of her abilities, as she was a competent gunner. Katyusha noticed that they were smart enough to track them manually, as the infrared jammer had not come online yet. Nina cycled the autoloader and the gun went ready to fire. The AT threat indicator came online in Oarai's tank, telling the team that the threat was off to the side. "Oh, I had no idea that we're being aimed at." Miho chuckled, before thinking that Pravda's tank was dead ahead and not to the side.

Saori helped by loading the gun, as Yukari was still out of it. At first, she went to load a practice round. Once again, the radio started to fade on the battlefield. The LOSCS remained online and all tanks were able to stay in touch. Miho told Saori to pull the practice round from the breach and load a live round, since they were about to go up against the Koreans yet again. Anglerfish team turned to aim at the Korean tank, and it didn't take them long at all to acquire their target. The Korean tank fired just before Anglerfish team could, and this time they were hit with a HEAT round, knocking the tracks off of the port side as they continued advancing toward the German tank. Once the girls recovered, Hana shakily aimed the gun at the enemy and fired. The round passed just over the turret of the enemy and detonated behind them. Katyusha told Nina to fire the practice round at the Korean tank, as it would take too long for the system to clear it from the breach. The round hit its mark, which startled the Korean tank crew, but did its job and distracted them from Anglerfish team. The T90A steadily charged the Korean tank while the system cycled a live round into the breach. Once ready, Nina fired the gun at the engine compartment and blew its engine out. The crew of the Korean tank hopped out and started running toward the Leopard 2A1, and they all appeared to be high school age girls as well. They only looked like they were lightly armed, pistols and grenades only. Nina popped up out of the turret to fire warning shots from the Kord machine gun at them, hoping to stop them. The large bullets smacked into the dirt around the enemy crew, but the gun was hard to control for someone who was inexperienced at shooting one. One of the rounds hit who seemed to be the Korean gunner, given the position she came out of the tank from. The round tore her open and she stumbled to the ground, shaking violently while trying to hold herself together as she slowly slipped away from consciousness and her comrades kept charging the German tank. Nina looked on in horror at what she had done. "Oh no... I think... I think... I just killed someone..." She said, with a horrible tremble.

Hana switched on the coaxial controlled MG3A1 and similarly fired warning shots, but these rounds only appeared to have struck the loader and driver in the legs. They also fell to the ground, but they seemed to be okay for the time being. The commander was still charging, despite knowing she was in more than one set of crosshairs. Miho exited the tank and ran out to meet their attacker head on. A brief fight ensued, but Miho was easily overwhelmed by the superior martial arts training of the Korean girl. As she laid there on the ground, almost certain she was about to die, Nonna ran out of the T90A with an entrenching tool in hand and swung it at the enemy. Nonna similarly being outmatched in fighting skill, the Korean girl dodged the attack and managed to get the e-tool, hitting Nonna over the head with it, knocking her out. As the enemy was about to deliver the finishing blow with the e-tool, Miho took the pistol out of her pocket that the Korean commander had given her before, and took aim at their attacker. She fired at where there didn't seem to be any body armor, as she thought the pistol rounds wouldn't be able to get through the vest. The round went through her neck, and her body went limp as she fell to the ground. The rest of both teams came out of their tanks to try and help Miho and Nonna. One of the wounded girls pulled her pistol and went to fire at Katyusha as she came over, but she saw the attacker moving and ducked in time. Miho shot back at the girl and finished her off. Then she dropped the pistol and ran over to the other girl who was hit in the legs, and didn't appear to be alive, as it looked like she had bled out form one of the MG rounds clipping the femoral artery. Miho grabbed the lifeless body and started punching her in the face, blinded by rage at what was going on. It took Katyusha, Mako and Saori to pull her back. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE?" Miho screamed as she was being pulled back.

"Calm down, she's dead!" Katyusha shouted.

"BRING IT ON, I'LL TAKE ALL OF YOU KOREAN COWARDS ON! YOU ALMOST KILLED YUKARI!" Miho kept screaming as the tears kept rolling.

By now, two of the Chinese tanks had rolled up to render assistance. One of the Chinese crews ran over, the commander stopping to help Nonna while the gunner and driver ran over to contain Miho. The other crew stayed in their vehicle to render further support if needed. The Chinese gunner smacked Miho on the side of the neck, knocking her out instantly and allowing the others to hold her down until more help arrived.

...

The debrief was less than pleasant this time, insofar as the teams had to recount every last moment of what happened. Nina and Miho were sick, knowing that they had killed people today. "I know what you're feeling, as I've had to do what you girls did today a few times over." Captain Chono said, trying to comfort the girls. "It can be hard to deal with, but if you hadn't acted how and when you did, you might not be alive right now."

"I'm not a trained soldier like yourself, ma'am." Miho said, shakily. "I've never killed anyone before, and today I killed two people."

"You acted bravely. Just as the Captain said, you might be dead right now if you hadn't done something." General Kiyofumi told her.

"But what about the girls we killed?" Nina asked, also quivering as she managed to get the question out.

"They were with the Korean Army's early enlistment program. They were the same ages as yourselves, and they were actually trained by their military." General Wanquan told them.

"B-but.. they're dead." Nina said quietly.

"They knew full well what they were doing when they came here. They knew they could die at any moment. And unless you didn't notice, when the first one was ripped open by the fifty caliber, the others kept running. They would not have stopped until each of you were dead. Or would you prefer that your families attend your funerals?"

Everyone grew silent at what General Wanquan had just stated. "We have therapists here to help you girls through this. You'll be okay." Captain Chono said.

"So, aren't we going to be charged with anything?" Miho asked.

"For what? Defending your country and your fellow citizens?" General Kiyofumi responded. "The worst you might get is a justifiable homicide if you weren't in the army. Even then, I could pull a few strings and have you girls' records expunged."

"Beg pardon, General. None of us are in the army." Katyusha said.

"The papers that your parents and yourselves signed when you enrolled in these programs were also your enlistment papers. So as far as the Japan Ground Self Defense Force and international law are concerned, you are all soldiers with a license to kill."

"A license to kill?" Miho asked, perplexed.

"Yes. I mean, why else do you think we'd let high school girls drive around tanks in the first place with live ammunition? And haven't you been reading the release forms that you sign before you go out on the battlefield? Those are your licenses as well."

"But what about the pistol I got from the Korean commander on the first day? Isn't that a crime?"

"As far as I'm concerned, that weapon was OSP, or 'on site procurement'. The record will show that it was obtained in the field, and then used in a just manner, in defense of your country and citizens."

...

New vehicles

JGSDF: Toyota MegaCruiser/HMV (high mobility vehicle, similar to the American humvee). Main armament: varies, no permanent weapons attached. Secondary: normally towed artillery or surface to air missile platform. Crew: ~10 (driver, commander, up to 8 troops with gear). Armor: thickness varies, usually hardened steel. Engine: 15B-FTE 4.1L inline 4 cylinder turbo diesel, 153hp. The JGSDF high mobility vehicle is a military variant of the Toyota mega cruiser. Features 4 wheel drive and 4 wheel steering, which greatly improve its mobility over rough terrain. The turbo diesel 4 cylinder engine produces most of its torque at low revs, which allows it to pull heavy equipment such as mortars, some howitzers and missile batteries.

Oarai: German Leopard 2A1. Main armament: Rheinmetall L55 120mm smoothbore gun. Secondary: 2x MG3A1 7.62mm machine guns. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor: thickness classified, 3rd generation composite; high hardness steel, tungsten and plastic filler with composite. Engine: MTU MB 873 Ka-501 liquid cooled V-12 twin turbo diesel, 1,479hp. The German Leopard 2A1 is thought by many to be the best current MBT in the world. Some design features went to inspire American tank designers when they drew up plans for the M1A1 Abrams.

Oarai: Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH2000). Main armament: Rheinmetall L52 155mm howitzer. Secondary: Rheinmetall MG3 7.62mm machine gun. Crew: 5 (commander, driver, gunner, 2 loaders). Armor: thickness classified, welded steel with additional 14.5mm protection from bomblets. Engine: MTU 881 Ka-500 diesel, 986hp. The PzH2000 features a phased array radar on the front, which measures the velocity of the rounds fired, as well as weather conditions in the immediate area. This allows each successive shot to be more accurate than the last.

Oarai: M1A1 Abrams. Main armament: Rheinmetall M256 120mm smoothbore gun. Secondary: M2 .50 hmg. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor: thickness classified, Chobham composite armor with ERA (as depicted here). Engine: Honeywell AGT1500C multifuel turbine engine, 1,500hp. The M1A1 Abrams is the current MBT of the US military. Viewed as virtually indestructible in the field, only a couple of units have been destroyed. One got stuck and was scuttled (destroyed intentionally with 155mm howitzer) to prevent capture, the other was friendly fire when a tracking unit malfunctioned and the tank was caught in a fire zone while an A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) was strafing. Other units may have been disabled, but were able to be repaired and sent back into the field.

Pravda: Russian 2S19 Msta, 1K17 variant. Main armament: 2A65 152mm howitzer. Secondary: 12.7mm NSVT AA hmg. Crew: 5 (commander, driver, gunner, 2 loaders). Armor: thickness and composition classified. Engine: V-84A diesel, 840hp. The 2S19/1K17 is considered a "laser tank", as it features a battery of lasers which are used to jam and disable infrared or laser guided weapons, enhancing crew survivability.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Girls und Panzer in any form. This is a work of Fanfiction.

...

Ch5: How do we come back?

...

The night was rough for everyone from both schools. Nobody could sleep, knowing what had been done on the battlefield that day. Miho found herself leaving the barracks and walking to the infirmary to visit Yukari and try to cheer herself up. She eventually made it to her destination and went to knock, but heard what sounded like Yukari whimpering in the room. She slowly pushed the door open until she was noticed. Yukari instantly snapped to and started smiling, although her smile seemed to be shaky. "Hey, Nishizumi-san! What are you doing out at this hour?" Yukari asked.

"You were... crying?" Miho responded.

"N...no, what are you talking about? I'm okay!" Yukari said, but Miho didn't believe her.

"I heard you, it sounded like you were crying or something." Miho replied, walking over to take a seat on the bed next to Yukari.

Yukari couldn't hold it in anymore and she just let it all out and started openly crying. "Everything still hurts so bad. I've got pins in my face and my jaw, some of my teeth are gone and I don't want to take their painkillers because I don't want to risk getting hooked."

"You seemed fine when you were in the hangar."

"I was hiding it. I was hoping my body language could mask it. I could hardly see straight."

Miho started hugging Yukari. "You'll only get hooked if you keep taking the medicine when you don't need it. Try taking what the doctors say, just to ease the pain."

"I... I'm not..." Yukari started, but Miho stopped her.

"If you won't do it for me, at least do it for the team. Everyone wants to see you get better. Even Katyusha says she wants to see you out there again."

Yukari looked at the nightstand and saw the medicine bottle the doctors had given her. "If it's for everyone else, I suppose I can." She trailed off as she picked up the bottle.

"You're a strong person, Yukari. You were the first victim of violence in this nonsense that's going on between us and the Koreans, you kept up a strong face even though you had been so badly injured. You helped keep our spirits up. Now just take whatever the bottle says to take. I don't want to keep seeing you hurt like this." Miho said, almost forgetting what had happened earlier.

Yukari read the instructions and took two of the pills like the label said, following with a drink of water. "There. I can't wait for this stuff to start working."

Miho hadn't noticed that her eye had let a tear slip, but Yukari noticed it, wiping it away. "What are you doing?"

"All my pain is on the outside, your's looks like it's on the inside. What's wrong?"

Miho started shaking slightly upon remembering what had happened. She told Yukari everything, not leaving out a detail. "There's blood on my hands, Yukarin. Nothing I could ever do will ever change what I've become. I'm a killer." Miho stated, putting her face into her hands.

"You're not a killer. You were just defending yourself and everyone else." Yukari said, almost as if she heard the Generals and Captain Chono talking about it. "I mean, what if you hadn't done it? Not saying I like the idea of taking someone's life, but they shot first. I mean, look at me! I'm a shining example of what they've done. If you just let them go, I don't think I would be talking to you right now."

"Everything just started going blank. I pulled that trigger and saw her body drop like a ragdoll, and next thing I know, I'm in the back of an ambulance with army nurses checking me out. Apparently, I started punching one of the bodies in the face. It took three of the others to pull me back and then one of the Chinese soldiers to knock me out. If that's not a killer, what is it?"

Yukari nuzzled her still aching face against Miho's as she hugged her. "You're Miss Nishizumi. I've admired what you've been doing for a while now. You're just a young lady who's been caught up in something that could change anyone."

Miho felt some of the stitches in Yukari's face poking her. "I didn't want to change, though. Not like this."

"You didn't start the change, they did." Yukari told her, backing off slightly. "Tell you what, is there anything I could do to help you feel better?"

"You've already done so much. I couldn't ask anything of you, especially after what you've been through."

"I'll be okay. Can't say I've seen worse, but my physical scars will eventually heal. The scars in your soul cut much deeper than anything I'm feeling. Now, what can I do to help you feel better?"

"There are a couple of little things. But you gotta promise me you won't tell anyone about the first one." Miho replied, her emotions starting to level off.

"I promise." Yukari chirped in her usual happy tone.

"I guess... I'm afraid of dying... before my first... kiss." Miho managed to get out. "I'm not gay, and I know you aren't either, but I've never kissed anyone. I'll understand if you say no."

Yukari thought about it, and certainly didn't want her friend to keep feeling upset. "I see. I haven't ever kissed anyone either. But I guess we'll be keeping it our little secret, huh?"

"You don't have to."

Yukari leaned over and kissed Miho long on the lips. "Wow. My first kiss was another girl." Yukari said, somewhat upbeat. "I can tell everyone that, but they don't have to know it was you."

Miho could feel her cheeks burning a bright red. "Th...thanks, Yukari. I actually do feel much better now."

"Me too. Now, what was the other thing?"

"Do you think we could maybe... spend the night together?"

Yukari started feeling her face turn red as well. She started looking away and pulling her gown down off of her shoulder, revealing her upper body. Miho saw her and pulled the gown back up to cover her. "Omigosh, I didn't mean like that! I just meant sleep together in the same bed. I don't want you sleeping alone after taking those."

"Oops, sorry. I'm just... I guess the painkillers are starting to work. My face isn't hurting anymore and I'm feeling really good right now. Everything is starting to get fuzzy."

"Whew. Just don't try that again."

The girls both crawled together under the covers and hugged each other before drifting off to sleep.

...

The next morning, the rest of the crews from Oarai and Pravda had come to visit Yukari. Miho was jolted awake by the sound of the door swinging open, but Yukari didn't budge, thanks to the medicine. Miho sprang up in the bed, her face turning red as a tomato upon seeing everyone. "Umm, this is not what it looks like." She quickly snapped out. "Nothing happened."

Katyusha chuckled, seeing Miho's pants on the floor. "Are you sure about that? She looks awful...satisfied."

"Oh my god, she took her medicine and it knocked her out!"

"Miss Nishizumi..." Nonna started. "Where's her shirt?"

Miho looked over and saw Yukari had slipped her gown down again, her chest showing. "Dammit Yukari! When you get better, I'm gonna kick your butt!" She snapped, before slipping her gown up again, which made her stir.

"Hmm? I'm gonna do what?" Yukari said, still groggy from the medication.

"Ugh. I guess it isn't your fault." Miho replied with a facepalm.

"What did happen?" Saori asked with a wicked smile.

"Stop right there. Nothing happened. She finally took her medicine, and I didn't want her to sleep alone when she took the first dose, and her medicine made her loopy. I'm sober, can't you tell?"

"Okay everyone, settle down-" Captain Chono started, coming into the room but was startled at what she saw. "Do you ladies need a moment?"

"Captain, it really isn't what it looks like."

"Sure. I've been in the trenches before and-" She continued but was interrupted by Miho.

"All due respect ma'am, but not a thing happened. She took her meds is all." Miho spat out.

"Oh, okay. Those pills are awful strong for someone of her size."

...

The day dragged on and everyone went back out to the hangar to see what progress the mechanics were making on the repairs to their vehicles. The mechanics were all resting, as it appeared the repairs were complete. "It's been boring around here." Nakajima whined.

"That was alot of work you've done already." Miho came back.

"We didn't do anything. We don't know how to fix these modern tanks. Army motor pool mechanics came out and fixed them."

"What the heck are those?" Hana asked, noting new planes and vehicles parked in the hangar opposite theirs.

"Those are some of our first arrivals." Major Riley responded as everyone saluted. "Those planes are A-10 Thunderbolt II planes, most often referred to as the 'Warthog'. These things frightened Saddam's armored force in the gulf, and can turn any modern tank into metal sawdust in a second or less. The choppers are Chinese WZ-10 fast attack stealth choppers. They can be a nightmare on the battlefield as well."

"What about the tracked vehicles?" Katyusha asked.

"Those were sent to us by General Wanquan. Those are Type 95 anti aircraft guns. He suggests that they might start sending in attack choppers soon as well, and these will definitely give them something to think about." His phone started ringing and he excused himself to answer it.

At the same time, Yukari walked up to the group and bowed to everyone. "I cannot express how bad I feel about what you all are going through." She started, her voice starting to break. "And especially to you, Nishizumi-san. My behavior was entirely inappropriate."

Miho walked over and stood Yukari straight up to address her. "Yukari, do you have any idea how potent the medicine you took was? Your head was clouded by the painkillers."

"I know. But I acted like-" Yukari continued, but Miho stopped her again.

"You acted like a girl who had taken medication strong enough for two people and simply misinterpreted a question. Besides, I asked you to take them to feel better. Don't feel bad. I don't. Now come check out the new tanks while you're out."

...

New vehicles  
American: Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog). Main armament: GAU-8/A Avenger 30mm Gatling cannon with depleted uranium anti tank cells. Secondary: varies, AIM-9 Sidewinder air to air, AGM-65 Maverick air to surface missiles, various missiles, guided or free fall bombs, etc. Crew: 1 (pilot controls aircraft and weapons systems). Armor: Thickness varies, composite armor throughout, titanium protecting the cockpit. Engine: 2x General Electric TF34-GE-100A Turbofan engines (9,065lbf thrust each). The A-10 "Warthog" is a terrifying ground attack fighter that struck a deep feeling of fear into the hearts of the Iraqi armored force in the Gulf War. The GAU-8 30mm gatling cannon fires the 10 pound depleted uranium anti tank rounds at up to a horrendous 4,200 rounds per minute, shredding even modern main battle tanks in a very short time.

Chinese: PGZ 95 (Type 95 SPAAA/self propelled anti aircraft artillery). Main armament: 4x Type 85 25mm autocannons. Secondary: 4x QW-2 Surface to Air Missiles. Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, hardened steel. Engine: Deutz BF6M1015C turbo diesel V8, ~475hp. The Type 95 uses an advanced radar array allowing it to automatically or optically track and engage aircraft out to an average distance of 5km with an accuracy of about 5 meters, meaning almost certain death for low flying aircraft.

Chinese: Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) WZ-10. Main armament: 2A72 30mm autocannon (as shown here). Secondary: 57mm & 90mm unguided rocket pods, ADK10 multirole missiles. Crew: 2 (pilot, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, composite throughout. Engine: 2x WZ-9 turboshaft engines, 1,350shp each. The WZ-10 is a stealth fast attack helicopter that uses an advanced electronics warfare suite to jam radar tracking systems, making it much harder to target the aircraft.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Girls Und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

...

Ch6: This is where it gets real

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Everyone was sleeping relatively sound in their bunks when they were jolted awake by the dreaded air raid siren. The ladies all jumped up and got dressed quickly, some of them thinking it may be a drill, the others thinking something really bad was about to happen. Once dressed, everyone ran to the hangar where they were met by JGSDF, PLA and some American troops who were also getting ready. The ones who thought it may be a drill suddenly realized that this was the big one. Everyone ran out to ready their tanks for battle. They did not load any practice rounds at all, they only loaded HEAT, APFSDS (armor piercing, fin stabilized, discarding sabot), HEF (high explosive, fragmentation) and some white phosphorous rounds. Major Riley came over to address the girls. "All of your tanks are fueled, repaired and ready to go." He said, loading his rifle.

"Beg pardon, sir." Midoriko spoke up. "We would like to help out. What can we do?"

"For now, you can help reload and refuel as units come back in. We've got support coming in from all around. You'll soon be in your own vehicle, as the French Military has sent over some armor. The AMX Leclerc will be available later today."

Mallard team saluted the Major and went over to help with the resupply teams. "Sir, what kind of forces are we going up against?" Miho asked.

"General Wanquan called it. We have reports of Korean Mi-24 Hind attack choppers coming in from the south. The Chinese anti-aircraft units have started to engage them, and we think they're about to change direction, since they can't get past the triple A fire."

"They're really going all out." Captain Chono started. "Spotters have seen what appear to be Korean bombers, such as the B-5, and a couple of transport planes."

"What do you mean, transport planes?" Katyusha asked.

"They're likely bringing in paratroopers."

All the girls started to feel uneasy about how bad things were looking, but knew they had to do something. Everyone boarded their tanks and started leaving the hangar. All of the vehicles were equipped with night and thermal optics, so they were fully capable of fighting in the dark. General Kiyofumi called out over the radio and told all of the ladies to head into the nearby city. "Civilian population has been sent into bunkers for protection. Use of all weapons in the city limits is authorized. Try to minimize collateral damage, but fire if it's an absolute necessity."

The tanks stormed out of the hangars and started heading for the city. Not long after getting off the base, the girls saw the transport planes dropping the feared paratroopers. One of the transports was struck by anti-aircraft fire and started going down in flames. When the surviving troopers started jumping out, the Chinese AA units started firing at the open parachutes, making the troopers fall to their deaths if they weren't killed by the explosions. Oarai started fanning out along the streets to the west, Pravda went straight up north and to the east. Hippo team took their PzH2000 down the freeway, allowing them more room to turn and fire. They were soon greeted by a Korean armor column of 4 tanks. Caesar and Saemonza loaded one of the 155mm artillery shells and Saemonza took aim at the lead tank. She fired and the vehicle again rocked back on its parking brake. The round hit and blew the lead tank to pieces, making the turret fly up out of the hull and hit one of the other tanks as it came down. Where the turret landed jammed it, making it unable to turn without turning the entire tank. The second tank in the column fired an armor piercing round, which only buried itself in the armor of the PzH2000, just as it had done on the M103A2, but didn't get penetration. The girls started hearing a loud jet engine droning overhead and a terrifying 'brrrrrrrrt' sound as they saw sparks flying all around one of the other tanks. One of the American A-10 Warthogs had shown up and started engaging the Korean armor with its GAU-8 Gatling gun. One of the tanks' magazine was hit, which made the ammunition cook off and the tank blew itself apart. The Warthog fired one of its Hellfire missiles at one of the other tanks. The missile hit dead on the top of the turret and finished it off, similarly blowing the tank to bits. Caesar and Saemonza loaded again and took aim at the remaining tank, which had the jammed turret. Just as Saemonza was pulling the trigger and the firing mechanism was moving, she saw what looked like a small white handkerchief waving from out of the commander's hatch, as if the commander was trying to surrender, but it was too late. The gun sounded off and the tank was completely destroyed.

...

Anglerfish team went through the business district to hunt for enemy armor. When they arrived, they found the streets to be completely deserted. The girls heard a jet engine overhead and then a whistling sound. Miho looked up through the periscope and saw a strange looking aircraft, which was one of the Korean B-5 bombers. Three businesses about a quarter mile down the street erupted as they were struck with the 1,000lb bombs. "Oh my god, why are they attacking a civilian area?" Miho asked out loud.

Her curiosity soon changed as she saw a QW-2 surface to air missile fly up and smack into the bomber, knocking it apart as it fell from the sky. "I guess that serves them right for going after civilians and their businesses." Saori spat out over the radio.

Much to the girls' fright, the AT threat indicator woke up and pointed out portable weapons to port side. Hana started spinning the turret and gave the range that the threat was coming from. Saori set the fuze on a HEF round for the distance and loaded it into the breach. When the turret was lined up, the girls saw what appeared to be 7 North Korean SOF (special operations force) troopers in the street, each with a Type 69 RPG on his shoulder. They all fired at the same time, all of the rockets hitting the Leopard 2A1. Only 3 of the rockets actually detonated, the others were presumably duds. Even the rockets that did explode didn't cause the intended damage, but the troopers didn't care. They dropped the RPG launchers and started charging the tank. Hana fired the main gun and the round went down the street, blowing up right over top of the troopers' heads, killing all of them. "D-did I do the right thing?" She asked, a quiver in her voice.

"Yes. If you didn't, those men would have killed us when they got to us." Miho replied.

...

Pravda's lead T90A was casually rolling down the city streets in what Katyusha decided to call a "bait and switch" operation. They would drive down a street, occasionally shooting the machine gun at areas where the Korean troops were taking cover, but never firing the main gun. Katyusha was calling out locations to the Msta gun to fire on as they drove past. The Korean troops were confused as to the tactic of just driving down the street and not engaging them with the main gun. Their confusion soon turned to regret for not moving as the whistling sound of incoming artillery started cutting through the air. The rounds fell exactly where the troops were hiding, taking out entire squadrons at a time. "What do you think, Nonna?" Katyusha asked.

"About what?" Nonna replied. "Killing them? They're hostile invaders in our country who don't seem to mind attacking civilian homes and businesses. I can't say I'm happy, but I'm certainly not going to cry for them."

"You had better not! You'll fork over 50 Rubles if I see even one tear!"

Just as their conversation was wrapping up, the AT threat indicator woke up and the automatic smokescreen kicked in. They were being tracked on thermal by aircraft. The unit description came up as "Helicopter, Soviet, MI-24, active tracking thermal/radar". The indicator then displayed the message "weapons launch detected, radar lock broken". Since the tank was still moving and obscured by the smokescreen, the 9M17 Fletya ATGM that was tracking them hit the ground where they were when the missile was launched. Nina cycled the autoloader with a white phosphorous round and aimed at where she thought the Hind was. Once the T90A moved out of the smoke cloud, she dialed in the Hind and fired. The round burst and covered the helicopter with burning material. The engines sucked some of it in and the material made the engines stall out, locking the rotors up as well, which prevented autorotation from saving them. The Hind fell like a bag of hammers and exploded on impact. "Our tanks can do anything. Even function as anti aircraft." Nina said.

...

Rabbit team was encountering stiff resistance in the residential block, mostly from Korean BTR-80 armored personnel carriers. They were more of an annoyance than anything else, as the 30mm rounds couldn't cause significant damage to the Abrams. The 120mm gun made very short work of the APCs, only needing one shot to destroy each one. Their biggest concern was running out of ammunition. They finally met two of the Korean P'okp'ung-Ho tanks, which made them feel uneasy right away. The lead vehicle fired a HEAT round at them, striking the turret and blowing off several ERA blocks. Aside from being jostled around for a moment, there was no permanent damage done. Azusa told Saki to load a HEAT round to return fire with. Once the round was loaded, Ayumi took aim at their assailant and fired. The round hit right where the gun came out of the turret, which blew inside the turret, causing the ammunition to cook off and destroy the tank. The second tank was lining up a shot, and just as they were about to fire, their engine compartment blew out. An Italian C1 Ariete came from between some buildings and circled the Korean tank, keeping its main gun trained on it. The Korean tank fired at the C1 with an armor piercing round, which bounced off of the sloped armor of the turret. The C1 fired back at the tank, finishing it off. "Looked like you could use a hand." A familiar voice came over the radio. "Besides, we can't let you have all the fun."

"Who are you?" Azusa called out over the radio.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten me." The voice continued. "We're in an Italian tank. Get it?"

"Anchovy?"

"Yep! Now, let's push these invaders back."

The C1 Ariete centered its turret and started rolling down the streets, the Abrams sweeping through opposing streets. Both teams were using their coaxial controlled machine guns to fire at infantry units as they acquired them.

...

Anglerfish team went back toward the base to refuel and rearm, as a FARP (forward arming/refuel point) in the city had not yet been established. They pulled up near the hangar and Mallard team came over with the hose to refuel them and powered carts with ammunition on them. They looked on in awe at the multiple scratches, chips and burn marks all over the Leopard 2A1. "How many times have you been hit?" Midoriko asked as she passed 120mm rounds up to the crew.

"I dunno, probably about 20." Miho answered, nonchalantly. "I really like this tank. We've been hit by RPGs, other tanks and grenade launchers. I don't want to get cocky, though."

The tank was still being refueled when they started hearing gunfire and explosions coming from near the infirmary. Everyone could feel their heart sink when they started hearing the reports in the distance. "They're monsters! Why are they going after the hospital?" Myoko asked.

"We'll find out when we get there. Hurry up and pass us the ammo." Miho replied.

Once done refueling and reloading, Anglerfish team started rolling toward the infirmary. Upon coming into view of the main building, they saw sandbags piled up near the front, with JGSDF, PLA and US troops firing machine guns out toward the field. At Miho's request, Saori loaded a HEAT round to fire at any Korean armor. The AT threat indicator informed them that there were anti tank weapons in the area, in the direction of the infirmary as well as in the field. They saw what were FGM-148 Javelin anti tank missiles fly up from where the infirmary was, and they came down on the advancing Korean tanks, destroying most of them. Hana aimed at one of the tanks in the field, which didn't look like a Korean vehicle. The IFF system identified the vehicle as friendly, and the AT threat indicator identified it as "Heavy armor, British, Challenger II, passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar, friendly unit". "British? Do you mean St. Gloriana?" Miho asked, stumped.

"It is British, and it fits their theme." Saori noted. "Calling friendly unit. Please identifiy yourself."

"I read you, Anglerfish. This is Darjeeling. We showed up to quite a mess, didn't we?" Darjeeling responded over the radio. "Now, could you please top tracking us? The darned AT threat unit keeps saying we're being tracked by a friendly unit."

Hana broke the lock and panned the gun to the field to pick an enemy vehicle to fire at. Just as she was preparing to fire, St. Gloriana fired at their target, destroying the Korean tank. "Aw, that one was supposed to be mine." Hana huffed.

"We're like salt to snails." Darjeeling replied, her riddle confusing Anglerfish team for a moment. "We kill the enemy? You know, salt is deadly to snails?"

"Typical Darjeeling. Even in war, she has time to crack off riddles." Miho chuckled.

...

To be continued next chapter

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New vehicles

Korean: Mi-24 "Hind". Main armament (as shown here): Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23, 23x115mm. Secondary (as shown here): 9M17 Fletya ATGM, S-24 240mm unguided rockets. Crew: ~11 (pilot, weapons systems officer, optional technician, up to 8 troops with gear). Armor: thickness varies, hardened steel throughout, titanium protecting cockpit. Engine: 2x Izotov TV3-177A turboshaft, 1,700 hp each. The "Hind" (NATO reporting code) attack chopper was originally developed by the Soviet Union. Thousands were produced, with numerous variants. Many countries produce the aircraft under license, as well as a handful of unlicensed variants. The Hind is fast, boasting a top speed of right at 200 mph, and the armor protects the crew from all small arms fire and some heavier arms fire from all angles. The Hind is fearsome in combat. It can only carry 8 troops with gear, but its weapons systems allow it to engage armored units and fixed positions to provide support for infantry units.

Korean: B-5 (Ilyushin Il-28N "Beagle") medium bomber. Main armament: varies, typically guided or unguided free fall bombs. As shown here: 6x 1,000 pound unguided free fall bombs. Secondary: originally, 2x Nudelman-Suranov NS-23, 23x115mm autocannons. As shown here: no secondary weapons. Crew: 2 (pilot, navigator/bombardier). Armor: thickness varies, forged aluminum. Engine: 2x Klimov VK-1 turbojet engines, 5,955 lbf thrust each. The Korean B-5 is derived from the Soviet Ilyushin Il-28 "Beagle" (NATO reporting code). It was originally designed to be able to strike out as far as mainland Japan, with payloads up to 6,600 lbs (3,000 kg) of guided or unguided free fall bombs. Even when loaded, the "Beagle" has a respectable top speed for a medium bomber, about 500 mph (804 kph), which is viewed as obsolete or slow when compared to modern bombers, such as the American B-1 "Lancer" bomber and the Russian Tupelov TU-160 "Blackjack" bomber, which can both reach speeds of around Mach 2.

Korean: Antonov An-24 transport plane. Main armament (as shown here): none, used for troop transport. No secondary weapons. Crew: ~52 (pilot, navigator, up to 50 troops with gear). Armor: thickness varies, aluminum. Engines: 2x Ivchenko Al-24A turboprop engines, 2,550 hp each. The Antonov An-24 was designed primarily as a troop transport plane, carrying up to 50 fully armed troops, of which many may be paratroopers.

Korean: BTR-80 armored personnel carrier. Main armament: 2A72 30mm autocannon. Secondary: PKT 7.62mm machine gun. Crew: ~10 (commander, driver, gunner, up to 7 fully armed troops). Armor: thickness classified, welded steel. Engine: KamAZ-7403 diesel, 260hp. The BTR-80 is essentially a BTR-70 with improvements made to the turret, parts of the hull and the engine. 8 wheel drive gives the vehicle excellent off road ability. It can climb up to a 60% grade and vertical step of 0.5m.

Oarai: AMX Leclerc (Mallard team). Main armament: GIAT 120-26/52 120mm smoothbore gun with autoloader. Secondary: Coaxial Browning M2HB .50 machine gun. Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, SXXI composite, titanium, tungsten and semi-reactive layers. Engine: Wartsila SACM turbo diesel 8 cylinder, 1,500 hp. The French AMX Leclerc was essentially designed around its autoloader system, to prevent problems that can come up when dealing with such systems. Like many other autoloaders, once the system loads, it cannot remove the round until fired. Features a thermal sleeve with an automatic compressed air fume extractor to better purge weapons exhaust gasses. Considered to be amongst the best MBT in the world, at least in the top 10.

Anzio: Italian C1 Ariete. Main armament: OTO Melara 120mm smoothbore gun. Secondary: Coaxial controlled MG 42/59 7.62mm machine gun. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, loader, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, laminated steel/composite blend. Engine: Fiat-Iveco MTCA turbo diesel V12, 1,250hp. The C1 Ariete features armor that allows it to rival most other modern main battle tanks. It uses a ZF LGZ3000 computer controlled transmission that allows the tank to climb grades up to 60 degrees, and it can ford water up to 1.25m on the fly.

St. Gloriana: British Challenger 2. Main armament: L30A1 120mm rifled gun. Secondary: L94A1 EX-34 7.62mm chain gun. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor: thickness classified, Chobham composite, Dorchester level 2. Engine: Perkins CV12 diesel, 1,200hp. The Challenger 2 is one of the most heavily armored tanks in the world, comparable to tanks such as the American M1 Abrams and german Leopard 2A1. The only known severe damage incident was blue on blue (friendly fire).


	7. Chapter 7 supplement

I do not own Girls und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

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Ch7.5, supplement chapter. This chapter is a supplement for chapter 7, to accommodate the equipment listed. This chapter was posted before the main chapter.

...

New vehicles

Korean: Writer's cut vehicle, M-2017 Neugdae (wolf). Main armament: M46 130mm rifled gun. Secondary: coaxial controlled KPV machine gun, 14.5x114mm. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor: thickness classified, nano crystal steel/composite with transparent ceramics, Kontakt-5 ERA. Engine: Daewoo TV-12/s, quad turbo diesel V12, 1,550hp. The Neugdae (Korean for "Wolf"), M-2017 (NATO reporting code) is essentially a Soviet T-72 with an Object 279 turret manufactured with modern materials and had been in development for years, but was hastily fielded during the " child's war ". The advanced armor allows the vehicle to hang among the best MBT in the world, and its 130mm rifled gun give it plenty of fight.

Korean: Writer's cut vehicle, M-2016 Baem (serpent) amphibious tank. Main armament: D-10 100mm howitzer with autoloader. Secondary: coaxial controlled Type 73 light machine gun, 7.62x54mmR. Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, forged steel with titanium liner, RHA, Kontakt-5 ERA. Engine: Daewoo TL-8/I, twin charged (supercharged & turbocharged) inline 8 cylinder diesel with computerized direct injection, 1,100hp. The Baem M-2016 features a D-10 howitzer, which is more than enough to compete with older MBT, and can be extremely annoying to modern MBT. Its twin charged engine spins up very quickly, allowing the vehicle to move up and strike its target and rapidly move away. Its hull shape and design allow it to move along the water, and broaden its attack angles. Its hull and turret are very low profile, making it harder to hit.

Korean: Chonma-Ho MBT. Main armament: 2A20 115mmsmoothbore gun. Secondary: KPV hmg, 14.5mm. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, loader, gunner). Armor: thickness varies, cast turret, spaced armor, ERA. Engine: diesel, 750hp. The Chonma-ho tank is a direct copy of the soviet T-62. Some models are equipped with more advanced composite armor on the glacis and turret, improving crew survivability.

Korean: M-1989 Koksan self propelled artillery. Main armament: 170mm howitzer. Secondary: none. Crew: 8 (commander, driver, gunner, radio operator, 4 loaders). Armor: thickness varies, forged steel. Engine: 8 cylinder diesel, ~500hp. The M-1989 Koksan self propelled artillery uses a large 170mm gun to hurl rounds an average distance of 37 miles. Four troops man the vehicle directly, the four loaders ride in a separate ammunition supply/support vehicle. It uses large spade stabilizers to absorb recoil.

Korean: Mikoyan MiG-29. Main armament: GSh-30-1 30mm cannon. Secondary (as shown here): R73 (AA-11 "Archer") air to air missiles. Crew: 1 (pilot operates weapons systems). Armor: thickness varies, aluminum/composite. Engines: 2x Klimov RD-33 turbofan engines, 11,240lbf thrust dry, 18,277lbf thrust in afterburner. The MiG-29 "Fulcrum" (NATO reporting code) was originally designed by the Soviet Union as a multirole fighter. Models can be equipped with a 300 gallon external fuel tank, which stretch out its operational range. The twin RD-33 engines are spaced in such a manner that they actually create some lift, reducing the overall lift load on the wings.

Korean: Sinpo class submarine. Main armament: 533mm anti ship torpedoes. Secondary: KN-11 SLBM, not used. Crew:~30-50. Armor: thickness classified, hardened steel/composite blend. Engine: believed to be single shaft MTU diesel with electric drive. The Sinpo class submarine was designed as a replacement to the Romeo class submarine. Few had been produced, and they do come up lacking when compared to American and Russian submarines. The Sinpo class sub can still be a grave threat to unknowing surface vessels.

Korean: Najin class frigate. Main armament: P-15 Termit anti ship missiles. Secondary: 2x 100mm guns, 4x 57mm guns, various others. Crew:180. Armor: thickness varies, hardened steel throughout. The Najin class frigate is among the larger boats used by the North Korean Navy. This class is literally bristling with weapons, making it a formidable opponent for vessels of the same class.

Chinese: Shenyang J-11D multirole fighter. Main armament: GSh-30-1 30mm cannon. Secondary (as shown here): fighter: PL-9 air to air missiles. Attacker: SS-N-22C Sunburn anti ship missile. Crew: 1 (pilot controls weapons systems). Armor: thickness and composition classified, believed to be composite. Engines: 2x Woshan WS-10A Taihan turbofan engines, 20,050 lbf thrust dry, 29,700 lbf in afterburner. The Shenyang J-11D is essentially a copy of the Sukhoi SU-27SK produced by Shenyang aircraft corporation. The improved engines give it a blistering speed and climb rate, allowing the craft to fly at Mach 2.5 at altitude, and a climb rate of 60,000 feet per minute, allowing it to reach its ceiling in just over a minute.

American: CVN-76 USS Ronald Reagan Nimitz class aircraft carrier. Main armament: RIM-162 evolved sea sparrow missile. Secondary: RIM-116 rolling airframe missile launcher, Phalanx CIWS. Crew: ship's company 3,200, air wing 2,480. Armor: thickness and composition classified. Engines: 2x Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors, 4x steam turbines, 4x shafts, 260,000 shp. The USS Ronald Reagan is a modern US Navy aircraft carrier, which can be deployed anywhere in the world. Carries up to 90 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. Nuclear reactors give the Reagan an unlimited travel distance, only needing to refuel about every 25 years.

American: CG-67 USS Shiloh Ticonderoga class cruiser. Main armament: 2x 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launchers. Secondary: various, numerous. Crew: 33 commissioned officers, 27 chief petty officers, 340 enlisted personnel. Armor: thickness and composition classified. Engines: 4x General Electric LM2500 gas turbine engines, 80,000 shp. The USS Shiloh is a well rounded cruiser, able to engage a wide range of targets on land, sea or air, as well as submarines. The Shiloh also carries 2 MH-60R Seahawk LAMPS III anti submarine helicopters.

American: DDG-62 USS Fitzgerald Arleigh-Burke class destroyer. Main armament: 1x 29, 1x 61 cell Mk 41 vertical launching system. Secondary: 2x Mk141 Harpoon missile launcher, various others. Crew: 33 commissioned officers, 38 petty officers, 210 enlisted personnel. Armor: thickness and composition classified. Engines: 4x General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbine engines, 2x shafts, 100,000 shp total. The Fitzgerald is another well known ship under the US Carrier group five. The Fitzgerald is a well awarded ship.

American: Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet carrier based multirole fighter. Main armament: M61A2 Vulcan Gatling cannon, 20mm. Secondary (as shown here): AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-7 Sparrow. Crew: 1 (pilot controls weapons systems). Armor: thickness and composition classified. Engines: 2x General Electric F414-GE-400 turbofan engines, 13,000 lbf thrust dry, 22,000 lbf thrust in afterburner. The F/A-18E.F Super Hornet is the currently adopted evolution of the F-18 family. It boasts excellent air to air combat ability and can also successfully engage surface targets.

Oarai: Swedish Stridsvagn 103 amphibious tank. Main armament: Bofors L/62 105mm rifled gun with autoloader. Secondary: 2x fixed KSP 58 7.62mm machine guns. Crew: 3 (commander, driver/gunner, rear driver). Armor: ~337mm at line of sight, forged steel. Engines: Detroit diesel 6V53T, 290 hp, Caterpillar 553 gas turbine, 490 hp. The Stridsvagn (often abbreviated to S-tank) is a light amphibious tank developed in Sweden. The vehicle's low profile make it harder to hit, which is useful as its armor cannot stand up to modern anti tank weapons.

Pravda: Russian T-14 Armata (Object 148). Main armament: 2A82-1M 125mm smoothbore tank gun with autoloader. Secondary: Kord heavy .50 machine gun. Crew:3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, dual reactive Malachit, steel/composite blend with radar absorbing paint. Engine: ChTZ 12H360 (A-85-3A) turbo diesel engine, 1,500-2,000 hp. The T-14 Armata is the newest tank to be used by the Russian military. Features an unmanned turret (crew sits in an armored module in the hull) which greatly improves crew survivability in case of a catastrophic kill. The hybrid suspension reduces target acquisition time and improves accuracy.

Pravda: Russian Object 195. Main armament: 2A83 152mm smoothbore gun with autoloader. Secondary: coaxial controlled 30mm gun. Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, steel/composite blend with Kontakt-5 ERA. Engine: 12N360 X A-85-3, 1,650 hp. The Object 195 (unofficially nicknamed the "T95" by western observers) is a design that was ultimately cancelled, believed to be caused by cuts in the military budget. Some models were produced for development and demonstration, but never reached mass production.

Saunders: M728 combat engineer vehicle. Main armament: M135 165mm short barrel demolition gun. Secondary: M240 7.62mm machine gun, M85 heavy machine gun, .50 caliber. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, loader, gunner). Armor: up to 143mm, hardened steel with ERA. Engine: Continental AVDS-1790-2DR air cooled twin turbo diesel, 750 hp. The M728 uses a large 165mm gun that primarily fires HEP (high explosive, plastic) rounds. The gun doesn't so much blow apart the target vehicle, rather it creates a spalling effect where parts of the inside of the armor get blown inward, killing or injuring the crew while also damaging internal equipment. Also features an A frame crane, a winch and a bulldozer blade.

Saunders: M1A2 Abrams tank. Main gun: Rheinmetall M256 120mm smoothbore gun. Secondary: Browning M-2 .50 hmg. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor: thickness classified, Chobham composite armor with depleted uranium mesh lining, ERA. Engine: Honeywell AGT1500C multifuel turbine engine, 1,500 hp. The M1A2 Abrams tank is essentially an M1A1 with improved armor that includes a depleted uranium mesh liner.

Saunders: M60A3 TTS. Main armament: M68 105mm rifled gun. Secondary: M85 .50 hmg. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor: 250mm, hardened steel, ERA. Engine: Continental AVDS-1790-2 air cooled twin turbo diesel, 750hp. The claim to fame of the M60A3 TTS is that it features an advanced thermal imaging system that was actually better than some modern main battle tanks, such as what the M1A1 Abrams had until its sight systems were upgraded. While the 105mm gun has a good amount of fight, it lacks the power needed to punch through modern MBT armor. It can harass and annoy modern tanks very well, though, potentially knocking out the engine or tracks and immobilizing the vehicle.

Saunders: M110 self propelled artillery. Main armament: M201A1 203mm howitzer. Secondary: none. Crew: 13 (driver, 2 gunners, 2 loaders, 8 crew members in supply/support vehicles). Armor: 13mm, hardened steel. Engine: Detroit diesel 8V71T 2 stroke turbo diesel 8 cylinder, 405hp. The largest self propelled artillery piece in the US Army inventory. Has a large crew, most of which ride with the supply and support trucks. Can project standard shells up to 10 miles, or up to 18.6 miles with rocket assisted rounds.

St Gloriana: Challenger I MBT. Main armament: Royal Ordinance L11A5 120mm rifled gun. Secondary: L8A2, L37A2 7.62mm machine guns. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor: thickness classified, Chobham composite. Engine: Rolls Royce CV12 diesel, 1,200hp. The Challenger was the main battle tank used by Great Britain until the adoption of the Challenger II. British armored units reported no losses when fighting Saddam Hussein's Republican guard and their T-72 M tanks.

Kuromorimine: German Leopard 2 PSO. Main armament: Short barrel 120mm smoothbore gun. Secondary: 2x MG3A1 7.62mm machine guns. Crew: 4 ( commander, driver, loader, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, 3rd generation composite, high hardness steel, tungsten and plastic filler with composite, ERA. Engine: MTU MB 873 Ka-501 twin turbo diesel, 1,500hp. The Leopard 2 PSO (peace support operations) was designed for heavy urban fighting. It features a shorter barrel for increased mobility in tight city streets at the cost of overall range, increased armor packages and a bulldozer blade.


	8. Chapter 7

I do not own Girls und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

...

Chapter 7: uphill battle

(there will be some OC in this chapter as well)

I'm including more references in this chapter, which should be easy to pick out. Anyone who can guess where they came from will get a bonus chapter to this story in a PM.

...

After breaking through Korean lines, Pravda sent their Object 279 out toward the forest to hunt for Korean armor in the trees. Recently refueled and rearmed, they were ready for anything. When they reached the muddy area on the other side of the train tracks, they charged through. The four sets of tracks bit down through the mud and gripped strong. They found a P'okp'ung-ho crew with their tank that was stuck in the mud, who were attempting to dig their vehicle out. The KPA girls looked at the oddity before them and started to run for cover, but were too late. Liliya fired the KPVT machine gun at them, killing the three that were outside. When the P'okp'ung-ho started to turn its turret to fire, the Object 279 let the survivor know how its crew felt. The 130mm gun put a HEAT round right between where the turret and hull meet, the copper stream cooking off the ammunition and destroying the tank. The Object 279 continued hunting and came upon what appeared to be German tanks, which made sense, as they were informed that more friendly armor would be coming through this way. Natalya looked at the AT threat indicator which read "Heavy armor, German, Leopard 2A5, passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar, friendly unit". Oksana called over the radio. "Pravda calling friendly unit, please identify, over."

"We read you, Pravda." A voice came back over the radio. "This is Maho Nishizumi with Kuromorimine. We were sent this way to smoke out hostile units in the forest. Suggest switching to night vision, the active thermal sight told us where you were almost before you were in line of sight."

"Copy that, thanks for the heads up." Oksana replied. "We also have reports that Saunders will be joining us over here soon."

"I bet they're itching at the chance to try out their new toys as well." Maho chuckled, then snapped to when the AT threat indicator woke up. 'Heavy armor, Korean, P'okp'ung-Ho II, active tracking thermal/radar, hostile' came up. "Looks like Saunders might have to pick at the scraps. These are on all of us."

Maho's tank turned and fired into the trees, the HEAT round making contact with one of the Korean tanks and sending its crew to the next life. The AT threat indicator spoke again, 'Heavy armor, Korean, Chonma-Ho, active tracking thermal, hostile.' was displayed. One of the Chonma-Ho tanks fired a HEAT round at the Object 279, which detonated, but the shape of the hull deflected about 99% of the round's force. "How does that make you feel, that a tank this old can take what you dish out?" Liliya laughed over the radio. "Firing on target!"

The 130mm again sounded off and the HEAT round it fired literally blew the turret apart and ripped a large gash open in the hull, exposing its frame. One of the P'okp'ung-Ho tanks took aim at the 279 and fired another HEAT round, which had similar failure. The crew was jarred around by the force of the explosion, but recovered fast enough. They returned fire with a HEAT round of their own that met with success. The round smacked into the Korean armor on the glacis, killing the driver and immobilizing the tank. More Korean armor started coming through the trees rather fast, and Kuromorimine started engaging them. They started hearing a plane overhead, which they had come to expect at this point. The AT threat indicator spoke in all tanks 'EMERGENCY! TACTICAL NUCLEAR DEVICE DEPLOYED!' The plane had dropped a large bomb, but the indicator mistakenly read it as a nuclear weapon. It was in fact a Korean "Father Of All Bombs", as purchased from Russia. While not nuclear, it is till the largest non-nuclear bomb in the world with a blast equivalent to 44 tons of TNT. An American FIM-92A Stinger SAM flew up and met the bomber, knocking it out of the sky. The crews braced for what they felt could be their last moment. The bomb detonated and immediately destroyed one of the Korean tanks, and the resulting blast and shockwave got underneath the Kuromorimine tanks, flipping them over, some of them landing on their turrets. The Object 279 stayed planted firmly to the ground, as was its design in such an event, due to the shape of the hull and the four sets of tracks. Once the blast seemed to have been over, Oksana looked at the indicator and the testing equipment which was reading a 0.000% increase in harmful radiation. "I guess that was just a big bomb, not nuclear." Oksana said. "Kuromorimine, hold tight. We'll engage the remaining armor."

"Appreciated." Maho called back.

The Object 279 continued firing at the Korean armor, taking on the other tanks. The KPA tanks seemed to be surprised at what they were seeing, not knowing that the 279 was impervious to such a blast wave. Before too long, the AT threat indicator came up with 'Medium armor, American, M728, active tracking thermal/radar, friendly unit' and 'Medium armor, American, M60A3, passive tracking thermal/radar, friendly unit'. Saunders had shown up with a small force to help. "Everyone okay? We saw that explosion." Kay called over the radio.

"We're all okay, our tanks are just disabled." Maho responded.

"Pravda, what about you?"

"We're fine." Oksana replied. "If you could, please give us a hand here."

Just as the transmission ended from Pravda, one of the P'okp'ung-ho tanks fired at them, a HEAT round taking out one of their track sets. The 279 kept moving, unfettered by the attack. "Let's see what the M728 will do." Kay responded.

The M728 moved closer and fired its 165mm gun, the HESH round (high explosive squash head) smacking into the turret of a P'okp'ung-ho tank. The round detonated, the explosion creating a spalling effect, where metal broke loose from inside the turret and flung them around inside, killing everyone except the driver. "Looks like they weren't smart enough to put in anti spalling liners." Naomi said.

The M60A3 TTS started going blow for blow with the Chonma-ho tanks, scoring kills with ease. They fired back, but the smaller gun of the Chonma-Ho wasn't able to do significant damage, especially when they hit ERA blocks. Alisa started getting annoyed at the situation. "Ugh, I thought these girls would be a challenge." She huffed.

"They aren't quite as diverse, you know." Maho responded. They're only fielding a couple of types of armor. We're fielding quite a bit more. Plus, we've got support from the Japanese, American and Chinese armies."

The battle didn't take too much longer, the Object 279, M728 and M60A3 TTS making very short work of the Korean armor. Once the area was clear, Kay moved the M728 CEV (combat engineering vehicle) over to the flipped Kuromorimine tanks and started hooking up to them to right them while Pravda and the M60A3 stood guard.

...

Anglerfish team and St Gloriana were holding off the Korean armor near the infirmary pretty well. Both teams were wondering why the Koreans were only shooting at them and not the infirmary, which seemed to be their goal. Yukari was inside, having run back to help assist any wounded. The US Marines were inside the building, in case the KPA troops got in. Yukari went to the front to see if there was anything else she could grab to help while everyone fell back. She saw a figure that she didn't recognize coming through a vent near the floor. She dropped what she had and took cover around the corner. She grabbed a fire extinguisher, hoping to use it somehow. When the KPA trooper started coming around the corner, Yukari swung the extinguisher as hard as she could, hitting the first trooper in the face. The force knocked her out, but only enraged her comrades. Yukari sprayed the extinguisher to put up a smokescreen to buy herself time. She ran back to the nurse's station. She took cover under the head nurse's desk, where she saw a FNH five seven pistol. Since everyone else was evacuated, she took it. The KPA troopers started clearing the building. One of them started looking in the nurse's station, the others made the mistake of heading toward the exit where the Marines were at. The KPA girls were cut down fast.

The one that was in the nurse's station heard the gunfire and knew she was now alone, and started backing away. Yukari seized the moment and threw the fire extinguisher at her to distract her. When she swatted the extinguisher away, Yukari tackled her. They fought around for a minute, the KPA girl backhanding Yukari across the injured side of her face, knocking her down in pain. She started scooting backwards toward the wall until she couldn't go any further. The pain started shooting all over so bad, her vision started going blurry. Something snapped in what used to be such a sweet, soft girl. She pulled the pistol and fired at the KPA girl center mass. The 5.7x28mm bullet passed through the vest with ease, going through her body and clipping her spine, paralyzing her. She dropped to the floor. She started trying to draw her pistol, but Yukari stood up and kicked the pistol away from her, then stomped down on her hand. "You ruined tankery for me." She started, a tremble in her voice. "This was my whole world. Now, I CAN'T EVEN ENJOY SOMETHING I LOVE! Why couldn't you just leave us alone?"

The KPA girl started looking on in terror, knowing she was about to die. A team of the Marines made their way to these nurse's station to investigate. Once they saw Yukari was in control, they stopped to let her handle it. "She looks pissed." One of the Marines said.

Yukari stood over her opponent, the pistol at the KPA girl's chest, her hand shaking. "I hope it was worth it."

Yukari pulled the trigger, the bullet going through her heart. She pulled it twice more, ensuring that her opponent was dead. When it was over, she dropped the pistol and fell back against the wall, sliding down to the floor in tears. The Marines took the room and one of them came over to give her first aid. "You're one hell of a trooper, Akiyama." He told her. "I'm going to give you a syrette of morphine for the pain."

He hit her in the leg with the syrette and squeezed. Her expression seemed to level off, but she was still crying. "I...I just... Killed someone." She managed to get out, shaking all over.

"You'll be okay. She was trying to kill you."

"Why didn't you try to stop me?" She asked.

"It's like Knox's rules, number three for us."

"I... Can't... Believe it. I killed her..." She trailed off.

"You'll be okay. There are therapists here to help when we get somewhere safe."

...

The Russian Army had offered help, which was accepted. The Spetsnaz 2nd detached Special Forces were the first to be deployed. They were making their way along trails to run reconnaissance and potentially ambush the advancing Korean armor if the opportunity presented itself. They had translators with them so they could readily communicate with other forces. They heard the whistle of turbochargers on a larger path nearby and went to investigate. They hid in bushes, looking down at the armor. They saw tanks that looked very strange to them. They took pictures and started transmitting them to friendly positions. "What the hell are these?" One of the Spetsnaz troopers asked the other.

"You're asking me?" He responded.

They also saw self propelled artillery and support vehicles and took more pictures. They recognized the artillery, as they had seen it before. They were M-1989 Koksan, with 170mm guns. They gave chase, attempting to keep up with the advancing vehicles. Once at a staging area, the strange tanks broke away from the main group and went on their way. The Spetsnaz troopers called in the direction that they were headed, then waited to engage the remaining vehicles, as they didn't look as heavily armed as the tanks. The Koksan pieces started setting up, the Spetsnaz troopers calling in every move they made.

...

The Warthogs and Fantans were being rearmed and refueled in anticipation for the arrival of the strange vehicles. Mallard team was finally set loose in their Leclerc, eager to get out and start helping everyone else. While en route to the city, their AT threat indicator lit up and said 'Medium armor, Swedish, Stridsvagn 103, passive tracking thermal/radar, friendly unit'. "Who could that be?" Midoriko asked out loud.

"Hello! Turtle team to the rescue!" Anzu called out over the radio.

"What the heck are you driving?"

"It's called an 'S-tank', it's weird looking, but it's amphibious. That, and the low profile makes it harder to hit."

"Be careful. Captain Chono says the Koreans are sending in some strange new armor." Midoriko continued.

"Any idea what it is?"

"No clue. The Russian Special Forces found it and started telling our army about it."

Their curiosity was soon slaked, as they saw two of the new pieces of armor, dead ahead. The AT threat indicator was confused, as this new armor was not registered in its databanks. 'Heavy armor? Unknown? Passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar/laser, unknown?' came up. Mallard team aimed the AMX gun at the unknown armor and fired a HEAT round. The round made solid contact with the turret, but had no effect at all, aside from blowing off ERA blocks. "Okay, this is unsettling." Nozomi called out.

What they had just encountered was the KPA "Neugdae" (Korean for wolf) tank, which had a 130mm rifled gun, nano crystal steel/composite armor and was still considered experimental. The Neugdae turned and fired a HEAT round back at Mallard, which made contact with their tracks on the Starboard side, knocking them off and raising the tank up off of the ground about a foot. The girls thought about abandoning the tank and running, but started hearing the US Field Artillery march. Saunders had set up with their own field artillery, the American M110 203mm self propelled artillery unit. Using satellite guided shells, they targeted one of the Neugdae tanks and fired one of the hulking 8 inch shells at it. The round came down, dead center of the turret and seemingly vaporized it. "Whoever fired that, thanks for the help." Midoriko called out.

"Think nothing of it." Alisa called over the radio. "We're going to keep pressure on them. Just call out their positions."

"Turtle, we can't move. Can you fire at their tracks or something? We just need a moment."

"Sure thing!"

The S-tank fired its gun at the other Neugdae, but the round wasn't big enough to get through the thick side skirt armor protecting its tracks. The KPA team started firing their KPVT 14.5mm machine gun at them, the rounds not really doing much. The turret spun to aim its main gun at Turtle team, who fired a second round, hitting the Commander's sight and blinding the commander for a moment. Turtle started driving around the heavy armor, attempting to distract them long enough for Mallard to recover. When they did fire, the sights were so badly misaligned, what would have been a direct hit went several feet over the top of the S-tank, detonating upon impact with the ground. They knew that the KPA teams would have likely been able to account for discrepancies in the sights manually after the first shot, so they started making for the nearby river. By the time they made it to the river, the KPA team had loaded again and were about to fire. Almost as if scripted, the s-tank went over the riverbank and down into the river just as the KPA team fired. Anzu could've sworn she saw the round moving just a few inches over their tank in slow motion. Upon seeing they had missed, the Neugdae tank moved in closer for another shot. The fatal flaw of the Neugdae in this case was that its gun could only aim down by -6 degrees, due to the size of the gun and its components, and moving further down the bank may have gotten it stuck due to its weight. Turtle was in a perfect position to fire, and they took the opportuinity. They fired and hit on the port side of the glacis, knocking the first two road wheels loose, essentially immobilizing the vehicle. Mallard capitalized on the distraction and put a HEAT round right into the drive gear on the starboard side, also knocking out the engine and transmission, almost as if attempting to copy Oarai's defeat of Kuromorimine's Maus tank from the angle they were firing from. Then, they started hammering the KPA tank until the turret armor was finally breached and the ammunition was cooked off. "Finally got them." Midoriko sighed in relief.

Their relief was short lived, as the AT threat indicator came up again with another unknown, 'Medium armor? Unknown? Passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar, Unknown?'. Another one of the KPA oddities was screaming toward them at a breakneck pace, considering it was a tank. This time, it was a "Baem" (Korean for Serpent) amphibious tank. It fired at the AMX, its relatively small 100mm howitzer not enough to punch through the thick composite armor of the modern French tank. Another round from Saunders came down, missing the hostile armor by just enough for it to still get away, its twin charged (turbocharged and supercharged) engine allowing it to slip away quickly. Just as Mallard was about to return fire, it flew down into the river, unaware that Turtle team was still in the water. Turtle fired at it as soon as it had the right angle, the round detonating on contact. The titanium liner of the armor prevented catastrophic damage to the crew area, but they knew they weren't alone. The Baem fired back at the S-tank, their gun having similar failure. Another round from Saunders hit the river close to the KPA tank, literally blowing it out of the water, making it land upside down. Turtle fired again, their 105mm gun again unable to get through the armor. A final round from Saunders came down and ended the Baem crew's armored career.

...

Katyusha, Nonna and Nina had returned to the base to rearm and refuel. When they pulled in, their AT threat indicator notified them of more friendly units. 'Heavy armor, Russian, Object 148, passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar/laser, friendly unit' and 'Heavy armor, Russian, Object 195, passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar/laser, friendly unit' came up. "I certainly hope those are for us." Katyusha said over the radio, with a grin on her face.

"Pravda? Yes, they are. New arrivals from the Russian Ministry of Defense. They're eager to get real world data on these things." General Kiyofumi responded.

Katyusha's team parked their T90A and ran over to the Object 148 (T-14 Armata) to get ready to go back out. They weren't used to all sitting in the hull, in a single armored module. "This is new. Why aren't we in the turret?" Nonna asked.

"The turret is fully computerized and unmanned. If there is a catastrophic kill to the turret, the crew will most likely survive." General Kiyofumi replied again. "That also removes the need for a fume extractor, which increases your fire rate and decreases target acquisition time."

The Object 148 tore back out into the city to keep up the fight against the invaders. They didn't have to wait long, either. When they confronted a P'okp'ung-ho tank, they waited for them to fire first. The KPA tank didn't seem to know they were right ahead of them. They were so oblivious to the T-14, they almost ran into it before noticing it was there, since the T-14 is painted with thermal and radar absorbing materials. When they stopped, the commander popped up out of the hatch and looked forward, noticing the tank a little too late. Nonna switched on all of the lights, blinding her for a moment, and Nina started shooting at her with the computer controlled KORD heavy .50 machine gun. One of the rounds hit her in the ribcage on the right side of her body, killing her instantly. Then, Nina switched over to the 125mm gun and fired a polymorphic depleted uranium APFSDS round, which sailed through the turret, the friction of the round causing the air inside the crew area to ignite, killing the crew. "Nonna, is this what it's like to get turned on?" Katyusha asked, the question making Nonna blush.

"I certainly hope you're not." Nonna replied. "What makes you think you are?"

"I just got all warm and fuzzy inside."

"You're a ruthless little thing, aren't you?" A familiar voice came over the radio.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE?" Katyusha yelled back.

"Settle down, I'm here to help." The voice continued. "I'm Erika, with Kuromorimine."

"DON'T CALL ME SHORT AGAIN!" Katyusha again spat out.

The AT threat indicator came up again, 'Heavy armor, German, Leopard 2 PSO, passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar, friendly unit'. "Sorry if I offended. We're on the same side here."

"I'll deal with that later. For now, let's keep going."

Kuromorimine's Leopard 2 PSO picked up Chonma-ho tanks nearby and readied to engage them. Once in range, Kuromorimine aimed at one of them. In return, both of the KPA tanks aimed back, one of them at the Object 148. They both fired HEAT rounds at the same time. One of the rounds struck the bulldozer blade on the front of the PSO, the other round bursting in the air before even meeting the Object 148. "What the heck was that?" Nina asked, perplexed.

Katyusha looked around and saw the screen next to the AT threat indicator, which read 'ARENA system active, hard-kill engaged, round destroyed.' She scratched her head for a moment. "I guess that means we have another layer of protection." She said. "Go ahead and return fire."

Nina cycled the system to load another DU APFSDS round and fired, the depleted uranium spike punching through the older armor with no issue. In similar fashion, the air inside the crew area ignited, killing the crew. "Their tanks really don't like depleted uranium, do they?" She asked.

"May we?" Erika asked, her tank aiming at the other Chonma-ho

"Don't miss, or they're all ours."

Kuromorimine aimed higher than usual, since their PSO had a shorter barrel, which made it better suited to urban combat than the Object 148, but reduced its overall range. When they fired, everyone could see the slower moving round cutting through the air through their night vision optics. Knowing what was coming, the KPA crew attempted to back away from the path of the round. They only managed to save the commander and gunner, but the driver was done for. Nonna made the Object 148 start charging the position of the disabled tank. Once close enough, Nina started aiming at the tank with both the 125mm and .50 hmg, but stayed on the machine gun. The KPA girls slowly started leaving the remains of the tank, the commander waving a handkerchief in surrender. By now, Kuromorimine had rolled up and provided extra security in case anymore KPA armor showed up. "Drop all of your weapons and back away from them." Katyusha said over the loudspeaker, unsure if any of them could understand what she was saying. "Any sudden moves, and you're dead. We both have you dialed in."

The KPA girls understood, put their weapons on the ground and backed up. They put their hand on their heads and awaited further commands. "Ladies, what appears to be the problem?" A familiar voice came over the radio.

The AT threat indicators started going crazy, lighting up over the sheer number of friendly armored vehicles coming up behind them. "Friendly units, please identify." Erika called out.

"This is General Wanquan, moving up with the People's Liberation Army's Third armored division, with a 2 company sized mechanized force." The General replied. "Why have you stopped?"

"We have two members of a KPA tank crew who've surrendered, sir." Nonna called back.

"Excellent work. My private security team, with the PLA Honor Guard will take them into custody."

General Wanquan's force pulled up in Type 99 tanks and JGSDF HMVs. The General stepped out and shouted in Chinese to the Honor Guard troopers that were in the HMV next to him. They all jumped out and ran over to the KPA crew. The girls went down on their knees, as they thought they were supposed to do. One of the PLA Honor Guard troopers came up and cracked the KPA tank gunner with the butt of his rifle over the bridge of her nose, making her fall to the ground with a broken nose. One of the other troopers punched the KPA tank commander in the face, also making her fall over, but with a broken cheekbone. They then started putting the KPA girls in handcuffs and started escorting them to a waiting HMV. "Beg pardon, General. But was it necessary to hit them like that?" Katyusha asked.

"I was sent here to assist Japan in its defense. I was not sent here to be nice or polite. Unless you haven't noticed, your country is at war right now." The General snapped back. "They're not dead. They'll be... interrogated. For information."

...

In the ocean, an American Carrier force had shown up to render assistance. With them was aircraft carrier CVN-76 USS Ronald Reagan, cruiser CG-67 USS Shiloh and destroyer DDG-62 USS Fitzgerald. They had been hemmed up by the occasional Korean ship, but they were not stopped. Any Korean surface vessel that met them was swiftly sent to the briny deep. One of the F-18 Super Hornet pilots reported seeing an unknown submarine in the waters nearby. Satellite recon confirmed the craft as a Korean Sinpo class submarine. Adequately armed against simple surface vessels, it was nowhere near enough to face off with American Carrier Strike Group Five, even with only three vessels to itself. The KPN sub launched two 533mm torpedoes toward the Reagan. USS Shiloh deployed countermeasures, which successfully halted the KPN torpedoes, long before they were able to hit their intended target. The two MH-60R Seahawk anti sub helicopters took off, ready to take on the sub. When they reached the position of the sub, they started dropping depth charges. Most of them were off target just enough to not rupture the hull at depth. One charge was lucky and scored a direct hit within 9 feet, causing a catastrophic rupture to the hull. The plume of water spat up about 200 feet in the air.

Radar confirmed three more KPN vessels nearby. Radar and satellite recon confirmed the vessels as Korean Najin class Frigates. The Reagan launched several more Super Hornets to engage the vessels. Soon after, their radar started showing a small group of KPAF planes headed their way, confirming them as Mikoyan MiG-29 fighters. They were presumably sent out to take air superiority, but they didn't know the size or mix of the force they were up against. The Super Hornets met with the MiGs and started fighting over the water. The Super Hornets had radar and weapons superiority, but the MiGs had much greater speed and maneuverability. The battle was roughly even, until radar showed Chinese Shenyang J-11D aircraft coming in. One group was maintaining low altitude for an unknown reason at the time, and the other was approaching the furball at a blazing speed. The KPAF fighters started wanting to withdraw, now that they no longer had the edge. The J-11D fighters started pursuing any fleeing KPAF MiGs, their PL-9 air to air missiles knocking them out of the sky with ease. The lead Najin vessel launched missiles at the Reagan. The Phalanx CIWS (close in weapons system) managed to destroy all of the incoming missiles before they could get close enough to do anything. Immediately after, the Chinese craft launched what turned out to be an SS-N-22C "Sunburn" anti ship missile at the lead frigate. The missile was so fast, the Najin CIWS couldn't keep up with it. The missile slammed into the hull, rupturing near the fuel storage, which blew out the deck and belched out a huge fireball as she started to sink. One of the other J-11D attackers fired another Sunburn at the second frigate, this one punching through the hull by the magazine. The ship splintered into millions of pieces. The Reagan signaled using Morse code for the remaining frigate to strike her colors and surrender. Unwilling to sacrifice anymore men, the captain surrendered.

...

The battle near the infirmary was heating up, with the KPA sending more P'okp'ung-Ho and Chonma-ho tanks into the fray. Anglerfish team and St. Gloriana were holding their own against the attackers, keeping them a good distance away from the infirmary. Anglerfish noticed several more friendly units showing up. 'Heavy armor, British, Challenger I, passive tracking thermal/radar, friendly unit' was displayed. "Looks like we have some backup." Darjeeling said over the radio.

"You think we'd let you get all of this fun to yourself?" Orange Pekoe came back.

"We were here first, so we get first dibs."

"Hey, we're going to get some too." Hana huffed.

"First come, first served." Darjeeling responded.

The tide of battle started to turn in their favor, until they started seeing a good number of KPA armored units showing up. They also saw unknown ground troops running near the path of the advancing armor, quickly planting heavy landmines and moving on. "Calling ground troops. Please identify." Miho called over the radio.

Her call was met with silence. The advancing KPA tanks had not seen the troops, and unknowingly ran over the mines, the other units that saw the explosions stopping before too many units were lost. The unknown troops popped up near the Oarai and St. Gloriana tanks and started readying FGM-172C SRAW II "Jackhammer" ATGM weapons for use against the armor in the field. "Don't worry, we're friendly." The unit commander called out.

"Who are you?" Darjeeling asked.

"We're Ghosts. Nothing more, nothing less."

The AT gunners fired the Jackhammers at the KPA armor, scoring kills all over the field. After numerous explosions in the field, the "Ghost units" disappeared as fast as they had shown up, leaving everyone wondering. Everyone was relieved that they didn't appear hostile to them. Now with less numbers, the KPA units weren't as willing to keep up the pressure, and they didn't have any minesweepers in the field to look for the other mines. Their assault now stalled, the KPA units started thinking about withdrawing. Their thoughts were interrupted by a round coming out of nowhere, taking out one of their vehicles to the rear. Two of the P'okp'ung-ho tanks turned to fire, their rounds meeting their target, which was another Saunders vehicle, an M1A2. The rounds did nothing other than annoying the crew inside, since the already strong composite armor was backed with a depleted uranium mesh liner. Saunders had better luck, the HEAT rounds they used to return fire with making good contact, the difference being that the P'okp'ung-ho tanks they hit didn't survive contact. Saunders kept engaging the KPA armor from the rear, Anglerfish and St Gloriana engaging from the front. Soon enough, the KPA armor column was completely fractured and starting to scatter. At one point, a Neugdae tank had made its appearance on the battlefield near the infirmary. All three schools attempted to take it out, but none of them had any luck against its next generation armor. To make matters worse, they started hearing the whistle of artillery shells cutting through the air. The rounds landed in the motor pool, destroying JGSDF HMVs and damaging several buildings. The Koksan artillery had started shelling targets.

...

The Spetsnaz troopers got orders to take the Koksan battery. They wasted no time, as they already had enough time to form a plan. The Spetsnaz troopers took the battery quickly, as it was only very minimally manned. Once everything was settled at the battery and it was being defended by the Spetsnaz troopers, they called units in the field for coordinates of KPA units not within line of sight. They got numbers from the Ghost units and started firing for effect.

...

The girls from Anglerfish, St Gloriana and Saunders were playing a game of cat and mouse with the KPA next gen tank. Their guns were seemingly unable to get through the modern armor. The Neugdae crew made a fatal mistake, not marking where the mines were before moving around too much. One of the Ghost mines detonated, blowing the tracks and several road wheels off of the KPA tank, fixing its position. A familiar voice came over the radio. "Ghost leader to Ocelot two units, interrogative, have you taken the battery at grid square Two-One delta, X-ray four, Yankee one? Over."

"Who the hell is Ghost?" The Spetsnaz communications officer asked.

"They are the best the Americans can send." Colonel Bogdanovich replied. "I know their leader by name, you can trust him."

"Affirmative. We have the battery at grid provided. We have six Koksan self propelled guns and a wealth of ammunition at our immediate disposal, over."

"Standby for fire mission, over."

All of the Oarai, St. Gloriana and Saunders girls were wondering what was going on. The special forces operators were making no attempt to mask or encrypt their comms. Before long, they started hearing the low dronong of an American A-10 Warthog coming in again. They saw it popping flares, but a missile from a Korean MiG-29 came up and went past the flares, hitting the Warthog in one of its engines. The engine was completely destroyed, but the explosion didn't cause enough damage to warrant the pilot's ejection. The pilot still managed to keep the plane steady enough to fly back to make a landing safely, unable to engage the Neugdae. Much to the chagrin of the KPAF pilot, several Chinese J-11D units came screaming up behind. The MiG tried to climb, but couldn't out climb the J-11D fighters. Two of the PLAAF fighters went up after the KPAF plane, swiftly reducing it to a burning wreck. The other PLAAF fighter made a pass at the KPA tank. Its 30mm cannon not packing enough punch at the distance it was firing from to knock it out, almost as if the rounds were shattering on impact with the armor. Noticing his efforts futile, the PLAAF fighter returned to the other planes. A PLAAF Fantan tried to engage the KPA tank with an HJ-8E ATGM, but the Neugdae used its soft kill defense to knock the missile off course before it could hit its mark. "They're really pouring a good amount of force into this thing." Miho said.

"Ocelot two, we have hostile armor stalled at grid square Two-Three Delta, X-ray seven, Yankee niner. Request strike package Bravo Six at grid provided, over." The Ghost leader called out.

"Copy that, Ghost leader. Rounds away." The Spetsnaz comms officer called back.

After a moment had passed, the whistle of artillery shells started cutting through the air again. One of the rounds struck the KPA tank directly on its turret, resulting in its complete destruction. The other rounds landed near where the rest of the mines were planted, making them detonate. "Good effect on target. Fleeing units at grid square Two-Three delta, X-ray eight, Yankee niner. Request strike package Charlie four at grid provided, over."

"Copy, rounds away."

More 170mm shells started raining down on the fleeing KPA armor. The rest of them stopped and surrendered, not wanting to die. "Looks like they've given up." Naomi called out, having seen it all from the Saunders M110 position.

"Good work, Ghost and Ocelot two." General Kiyofumi said over the radio. "We have elements of the JGSDF 7th Division moving in to take them into custody."

All friendly tanks came up with the same message as before, 'Heavy armor? Unknown? Passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar/laser Unknown?'. Another 2 Neugdae had shown up with all of the confusion, their crews having went around the minefield. "We're being painted with a thermal signature, can't move fast enough." Darjeeling said, worried, even as the tank started moving.

A 9M123 ATGM screamed off of the tertiary rack of the first KPA tank, smacking into the hull of the Challenger 2. The strike completely blew out the drivetrain and jammed the turret. Everyone in Darjeeling's tank was thrown around, badly injured and Assam was starting to bleed out, but nobody was killed. "I've got him!" Clara called out over the radio, in one of Pravda's T90A tanks.

Pravda's T90A fired a HEAT round at the first KPA tank, which unfortunately didn't kill it. Clara had the T90A pull in between the Challenger 2 and the KPA tank, to give them time to evacuate. They fired another HEAT round at it, which similarly failed to punch through its armor but was at least able to take out its machine gun and blow the second missile off of its tertiary rack. The Neugdae aimed at the Russian tank, with its thermal sights on. Once Pravda's AT threat system came on, its jammers blinded the electronics of the KPA tank, forcing its crew to rely on their naked eyes and analog sights. Since the Neugdae was still only fitted with the old T-72 analog sights, it was only any good at distances of 1 kilometer or better, but rangefinders placed it at 573 meters. Not accounting for the difference, the KPA crew fired a depleted uranium AP round at Pravda's tank. The round ripped a large section of the armor off of its turret near the hatch, but the angle it hit at from its short range didn't allow it to connect solidly and penetrate the turret. What was worse was that the shock of the impact caused the electronics and weapons systems to start a force-reboot, which would take far too long to complete. Clara told the crew to be ready to evacuate. Still unsure of how to compensate for distance, the KPA crew fired again, this time the round hitting the heavily armored glacis, which again bounced off, hitting the dirt underneath it. Immediately after the second shot, Clara ordered everyone out, since they would have time between shots to do so. Once they popped out of their hatches, Clara and her crew noticed that the air tasted very metallic and they saw flakes of metal all over everything. Pravda's crew ran over to Anglerfish team's tank and took cover behind it as St. Gloriana's Challenger 1 tanks lined up next to them, and they all started coughing. "What was in that spike?" Clara asked, unaware that they had all just been exposed to depleted uranium particles and shards in the air and on their tank.

"We won't stand for this!" Tatiana snapped over the radio, her team screaming over the hill in their Object 195.

They stopped and made the autoloader feed a HEAT round into the 152mm gun. Once they had the first KPA tank lined up, they fired. The 152mm gun struck the turret and ripped it open like a bag of potato chips. Just as they were lining up to shoot at the second Neugdae, they saw what looked like infantry running over to the tank on thermal. One of the Ghosts had returned and climbed up on the remaining KPA tank by the gunner's hatch. He opened it and the loader jumped up to try and push him away, but he punched her dead in the middle of the face, knocking her out cold and breaking her nose. He pulled the pins on two M67 hand grenades, dropped them by the magazine and started running from the tank. Due to the rather confined space inside the turret, the other crew members couldn't get to the grenades or even get out in time. When the grenades detonated, they cooked off all of the ammunition in the magazine and the tank disintegrated with the explosion.

...

Eventually, elements from the JGSDF 7th division, the PLA 3rd armored, the Russian 4th Guards tank division and the USMC 4th Marine division had shown up and taken control of the situation. Since they weren't very far from the infirmary, they didn't have to wait long for proper medical care. Assam was taken in for shrapnel wounds on her side and abdomen, of which she almost didn't survive. Clara and her team were taken in to be checked out, even if they didn't look very badly injured. Clara started vomiting and said her vision was starting to blur slightly. "Oh god, what was that spike?" Clara asked out loud.

"Spike? What spike?" The head nurse asked.

"They fired a spike at us that tore apart our turret. The air tasted metallic and there were shards of metal everywhere."

The head nurse grabbed a Geiger counter and started moving it near Clara. It started clicking when it was close to her, indicating that she had been contaminated with radiation. "Everyone, out of the room. Possible radiation poisoning." The head nurse called out. "You still have some of the flakes on your clothes. I'll need you to strip so we can dispose of them and get you to decontamination." She told Clara.

One of the other nurses was checking out Nastya, who was the damaged T90A's driver. Some of her hair was starting to fall out and she was starting to shake all over. The head nurse saw this and ordered the other nurses to put her in decontamination along with Clara. Sasha, the damaged tank's gunner, was starting to feel queasy as well, so she went with them. Miho, Mako, Hana and Saori went looking around the infirmary for Yukari. They found her in one of the beds near the front, sitting up, crying. Miho ran over and sat on the bed next to Yukari, putting her arm around her. "Yukari, what's wrong?" Miho asked.

Yukari started hugging Miho like she never had before, shaking and crying louder. "Oh my God, Miho. I killed someone."

"Are you hurt?"

"Not really, but I just feel so sick... Please, don't let go of me." Yukari pleaded.

"Okay, I'm here for you." Miho responded, hugging Yukari back as she could feel the warm tears falling off her face.

Mako, Hana and Saori joined them on the bed and started giving her a soft group hug. Maho walked in and saw everyone huddled together. "Hey, how's everyone holding up?" She asked in a clam tone.

"Yukari... has done something she really didn't like doing." Miho answered her older sister.

"I see. Well, for what it's worth, this is almost over. Some of the captured KPA girls have given us some information."

"What have they said?" Miho returned.

"Kim Jong-Un has made a terrible mistake in deploying tactical nuclear weapons to fight the People's Liberation Army on the mainland. They didn't have quite the effect they wanted, and now the Chinese have started a counterattack. Kim Jong-Un has started calling forces back to help defend the homeland, so there's only a few little pockets of resistance left."

"What exactly does this mean?" Mako asked.

"They're amassing troops and armor just a few miles north of here. One final battle should be all it takes, and we're going to need any and all available teams to pull this off."

Yukari started recovering from her crying fit and looked over at Maho. "Nishizumi-san, I want to help."

"Are you sure you want to do this? It'll probably be their best troops and equipment we'll be facing."

"Yes. I've loved tanks all of my life. These people came here and started trying to take away one of the pleasures in my life. I want to help finish them off so we can get back to tankery."

"You're certainly a tough one, Akiyama. We're getting ready as well. Tomorrow morning at 0400, we'll be moving out."


	9. Chapter 8

I do not own Girls und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

...

Chapter 8: Last battle

...

The morning came, all of the girls from the schools participating in the final attack had been summoned to the tank hangar by General Kiyofumi and General Wanquan. Most of them were still tired from the day before, but they knew it was only one battle that stood between them and being able to relax. General Kiyofumi had them all fitted for the JGSDF Jeitai digital camouflage and Level IIIA body armor, as well as having them lightly armed with Glock 9mm pistols. They stood and awaited their command. "Ladies, you all have displayed bravery and resilience on par with the best soldiers in the world." General Kiyofumi started. "As you all are aware now, you are all members of the Japan Ground Self Defense Force. This began when your parents and yourselves signed you up for tankery classes at your respective schools. What this means is that not only are you all strong young women, you are also true soldiers."

"My troops have all told me that they have enjoyed serving alongside yourselves." General Wanquan started. "Each one of them says they admire your dedication and bravery. I, myself, also admire you. When most little girls would run and hide, all of you have stood and fought to defend your country and your people without hesitation. It has been an honor to fight alongside you in the defense of Japan."

"Just as the Generals have said, your bravery and selflessness is without compare." Colonel Bogdanovich began. "Not since my papa told me stories about his tank crew in World War two fighting the Nazis have I seen or heard of such courage. Even in the face of greater numbers and superior training, not a single one of you has turned away from the fight."

General Kiyofumi signaled his assistant to bring over a box. "I hope you will forgive the lack of a formal ceremony, but the circumstances at present keep us from doing so." The General opened the box and pulled out metal rank badges to begin giving the ladies their official ranks. "With these rank insignia, I officially welcome you to the Army. This war is yours, as it has been unanimously dubbed the 'Child's war'. It was given this name since you all have not yet graduated."

"The fighting will begin in an hour." Major Riley said. "You will have the full backing of the United States Marine Corps, Fourth Marine division, the Japan Ground Self Defense Force seventh division, the People's Liberation Army's Third armored division and Second Artillery Corps, and the Russian Fourth Guards tank division and Spetsnaz Second detached special forces."

After all of the ladies had received their ranks, they stood and saluted their superior officers. "Ladies, let's go finish off the last of our enemies." General Kiyofumi told them as he saluted them.

...

Everyone was keeping rather quiet as their tanks left for the last battle in the Japanese portion of the Child's war. Hippo team and Pravda's Msta team moved to a hilltop position well withing range of the battle zone, alongside Saunders with their M110 and the PLA 2nd artillery corps, who helped the Russian 4th guards tank division, who had moved the Koksan artillery pieces up to a perfect firing position. Having set up a radar station, fueling station, ammo dump, power station and medical station nearby. Once in place, the Russians linked their comms and guidance systems up with their guns. "This really is war, isn't it?" Erwin asked one of the Russian soldiers.

"Yes. But don't fret. After today, you can go back to your normal lives." He answered.

Oarai, Pravda, St. Gloriana, Anzio and Kuromorimine teams charged up to a waiting area. They posted up and waited for orders to move in, as the Spetsnaz were going to hit several points on the perimiter at the same time. After their surprise attack, the militaries were going to start engaging targets all around the perimeter, allowing the schools to slip in with little resistance.

...

Colonel Bogdanovich had moved his team into position and waited for the right time to attack. "I'm going to do something I saw in a movie once." The Colonel whispered to his team.

When the time came, he looked down over the boulder his team was hiding on and saw an open hatch on one of the Korean BTR-80s. He pulled the pin on his grenade and tossed it down in the hatch. After the grenade detonated, he stood up and fired his AN-94 into the crowd of stunned KPA troops. "WOLVERINES!" He yelled at the top of his lungs to signal his men to take the position.

They took the perimeter position with ease. Once the position was theirs, some of them started moving closer to get eyes on the enemy field HQ. Some of their minesweepers headed toward where the schools were due to come in. After they had dealt with the mines they found, they called the other military forces to begin their assault. Heavy rounds started coming down in what seemed like a deluge of explosives and ATGM fire. The KPA armored units that had been drawn out in the perimeter attacks were quickly dispatched. Once the opening was made, Captain Chono called the ladies over the radio. "Okay, this is it. Let's show them why they say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

With that order, all of the ladies started moving their tanks into the enemy perimeter. At first, they encountered very limited resistance, only infantry units. They were easily dealt with by the machine guns on their tanks. All of their AT threat indicators had been updated with the latest KPA armor added, so now they knew what they were looking at. It soon paid off, when 'Medium armor, N Korean, Baem, passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar, hostile' came up. Anchovy's C1 Ariete fired an armor piercing round at it, which managed to catch at just the right angle to get through the titanium lined armor and get at the crew. Another Baem flew around it, taking full advantage of its superior speed and maneuverability to flank the Italian armor. Once in place, the Baem crew fired at Anzio's starboard tracks and blew them off. Anchovy had them turn to fire, but the turret couldn't pan fast enough to keep up with it. "Dammit, stay still!" Anchovy shouted over the radio.

"We got them." Tatiana came back.

Pravda's Object 195 let loose with a HEAT round, literally blowing the Baem apart, sending armor panels flying.

It wasn't long before they were visited by several more Baem. Another piece that came up was 'Heavy armor, N Korean, Neugdae, passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar/laser, hostile' but there was only one of them this time. Kuromorimine was well equipped, with a Leopard 2-140, with a larger 140mm gun. The Leopard 2-140 and the Object 195 both engaged the Neugdae, as their guns were more able to punch through the thicker next generation armor. The Neugdae was taken out quickly. Anglerfish, with Yukari rejoining them as an additional loader for the team, started engaging the other Baem tanks. Hana took aim at one of them and fired a HEAT round. The round seemed to have split the medium tank in half, almost right up the middle.

St. Gloriana had a few of their Challenger I tanks stay back to give Anzio cover while they repaired their tank. "Damn, these tracks are heavy." Pepperoni grumbled, with Anchovy and Carpaccio in agreement.

...

The bombardment from the friendly battery kept going, striking at targets that were being called out to them. Eventually, their attacks had become enough of a thorn in their side that they attracted the attention of a Korean Koksan battery near their field HQ. Once spotters had seen where the fire was coming from, they called for artillery to return fire. One of the spotter shells came down by Hippo team's PzH2000, hitting near the turret. Everyone abandoned the gun and ran for cover by the Russian units. Once in cover, Erwin fell over, blood coming from her abdomen. "Oh no, they got me." She tried to laugh it off.

Hippo and Pravda heard the Russian and Chinese troops talking and then heard a strange buzzing sound. When more 170mm shells came down, they detonated in the air before hitting the battery. What happened was they had started up the ARENA soft/hard kill defense and the Iron Dome defense systems, the Iron Dome system delivered by the Israeli military. Now seeming to be impervious, one of the Russian medics ran over to help Erwin. She took off her body armor and her jacket, then pulled her shirt up off of herself. A small piece of metal from inside their PzH2000 had gone through her vest and into her belly, just to the right of her navel. What worried her the most right away was that the metal hadn't gone all the way through, which meant it was still inside her. The medic gave her a small piece of wood to bite down on as he applied alcohol to sterilize and a local anesthetic. Then, he started working around inside her belly with sterile forceps to pull the metal out. He finally managed to get it out, and everyone looked at it with a shocked look. "You survived THAT?" The medic asked.

"I'm a bit tougher than your average girl." Erwin chuckled.

The medic cleaned up the area and sewed up her wound, then put gauze over the area and wrapped ACE bandage around her to keep the gauze in place. Caesar, Saemonza and Oryou walked her over to the medic station to get a more complete checkup. She sat down on a cot and started holding her belly in great pain. "Umm, Erwin..." Saemonza said.

"Yeah?" She answered.

"Not to be too personal, but is it... your time of the month?"

"No, and it shouldn't be for another week or so. Why?" She responded, not knowing what she was getting at.

"You're bleeding... from your privates." Caesar pointed out.

Erwin looked down in horror at the sight of blood soaking through the crotch of her pants, meaning that she was indeed bleeding from her private area. "Oh, god no. Please, no..." She said, getting more and more worried.

Oryou went and got the attention of one of the lady doctors and told her about Erwin. She came over and looked. "Ladies, we'll need privacy." The doctor told them, closing the curtain.

"Please, don't tell me this means what I think it does..." Erwin said, now crying.

The doctor called a gynecologist who was nearby at the infirmary, as she would be better qualified to help. "Calm down, someone is coming to help. I can only do so much. Now, I'll need you to take off your pants."

Erwin couldn't bend down enough to take off her boots or pants. The doctor slipped her boots off for her, then slipped her pants down. "All of that blood... Please... No..." She said, seeing her underwear soaked in blood.

The gynecologist soon arrived and started looking her over. "I'm honestly surprised this didn't kill you." She told Erwin.

"Doc... Please tell me I can still have babies..." Erwin pleaded, still crying.

"We'll need to get you into surgery. I'll do what I can."

...

Once the girls reached the inner perimeter of the KPA field HQ, the fighting intensified. Pravda pushed ahead, with Katyusha, Nonna and Nina in the T-14. They were harder to target, due to the stealth materials used. They could also shoot faster, which helped a great deal. At one point, an NK SOF trooper jumped on top of the T-14s turret. He popped the hatch and didn't see anyone inside, even though the turret was still moving and firing. Having never seen one before, he first thought it may be a drone. As he was about to drop a grenade inside the turret, one of the Spetsnaz troopers hit him in the neck with his ballistic knife. "Where can I get one of those?" Katyusha asked with a grin.

After the SOF trooper was dealt with, their AT threat indicator came up with something new, 'field gun, N Korean, Neugdae, passive tracking thermal/radar, hostile'. "Field gun?" Nonna asked, looking to see what the system meant.

KPA forces had deployed their Neugdae tank destroyer variant to fight the armor. Its crew took aim at the turret, also not knowing it was unmanned. The 152mm high velocity gun let loose with an armor piercing round that cut through the turret with ease. The air ignited, but nobody was hurt and the fire suppression system came on and kept the fire from getting into the magazine. Nina made the turret spin to aim and return fire at the tank destroyer. She fired a HEAT round, striking the TD on the glacis, right over the driver's hatch. All of the KPA troops that saw this started looking on in shock, thinking the T-14 should've been dead and completely unable to fire. She fired again, at the turret this time. The round didn't get through, but the crew abandoned their vehicle in fright. Nina opened fire with the machine gun and cut them all down.

...

Erwin's surgery went well and she started to wake up. She looked down at her belly and saw newer sutures. "What happened?" She asked groggily.

"Your internal injury has been mended." The gynecologist answered.

Erwin suddenly woke up completely. "Doc, will I be okay? Will I be able to have babies?"

"In time, yes."

Erwin laid back and put her face into her hands, crying again. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You won't be able to right away. Wait about three years before trying, but you'll be able to enjoy the rigors and rewards of motherhood."

Caesar, Saemonza and Oryou came in to visit her before heading back out. "How are you doing, Riko?" Saemonza asked, oddly using Erwin's real name.

"I'll be okay." She answered, starting to calm down.

"How are your... Lady parts inside? That metal looked like it hit in a bad place." Oryou asked.

"I'm gonna be able to have children someday."

"Whew. For a bit, we were kinda worried. We know how much being a mommy someday meant to you." Caesar said, putting her hand on her shoulder.

"Will you be okay by yourself? The General wants us to get back out there and help with the artillery crews." Saemonza asked.

"Yeah. Thanks for checking up on me."

...

Pravda's T-14 was rolling around, firing on targets as they came up. The KPA troops still couldn't get over how a tank that was presumably dead was still engaging them. One of the SOF troops managed to put a round from a 9K115-2 Metis-M ATGM into the breached turret, finally causing catastrophic destruction of the turret. "Crap! Now we gotta fall back!" Katyusha shouted, aggravated.

Anglerfish was the first team to reach the KPA field HQ. Yukari set the fuze on a HE frag round for distance and loaded it. Hana fired at the HQ tent, the round going in and detonating, the fragmentation effect ripping through everything and everyone inside. Mako started moving the Leopard 2A1 around to get the team into a better shot at the KPA motor pool. She unintentionally ran over one of their jeeps, flattening it like a pancake.

One of the Spetsnaz troopers called in an artillery strike on their motor pool, and before long, a 170mm shell came down nearby. He called in adjustments and they started shelling the motor pool relentlessly. Once the barrage was over, the fighting seemed to start winding down. The US, PLA, JGSDF and Russian troops started pouring in to the HQ grounds and taking on the remaining KPA troops. Everyone was still on edge, knowing the fight wasn't quite over. Anglerfish stayed in their tank just in case something else happened, and it was a good thing they did. Another Neugdae TD showed up and took aim at them. Maho had their Leopard 2-140 fire at it, which met with success. The round blew out the tracks on port side and the hydraulics. The engine started revving at maximum, eventually blowing itself apart. "Thanks, sis. We have an idea what that thing could've done to us." Miho called over the radio.

"Come on, I'm not going to let my little sis come to any harm out here." Maho replied.

Anglerfish waited until the friendly military units came in and took over before they stepped out. They didn't notice that the turret on the Neugdae TD slowly moving from the hand crank being turned inside the turret. Maho had popped up out of the commander's hatch, noticing the turret moving. "GET DOWN!" She yelled.

Everyone from Anglerfish hit the dirt just before the main gun fired, striking the turret of the 2-140. A US Marine ran over and jumped on the turret of the TD and opened the hatch, then shot everyone inside with his M4A1. Once the dust started settling, Miho looked at the burning remains of the 2-140, horrified at what she saw. She looked over to the side and saw Maho laying on her side, motionless. She stumbled toward her sister's body, sick with fear. She stopped and fell to her knees beside her body. "M... Maho... What-" Miho got out.

She picked up her body and started holding her close. "What's going on-" Yukari asked, stopping when she saw Miho.

"C'mon, Maho. Please wake up... Please wake up..." Miho said, tears coming out. "You're not gone... You're not gone... Your little sis still needs you... Please..."

JGSDF field medics came over and got Maho's body from Miho and started checking her out. They checked her vitals and attempted to revive her. When they couldn't bring her back, they closed her eyes for the last time. Miho collapsed when she saw that. "Miho... I don't know what to say." Yukari said quietly.

Miho latched onto Yukari, bawling loudly. "She's gone! Oh my god, Yukari, she's gone!"

...

The mood was somber at the administrative building, with the war in Japan now concluded. Miho was still clinging to Yukari, still crying. Captain Chono came over to try and help console her. "Miho. I can't imagine how you feel right now, but please let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"She's gone. I watched my sister die. I held her body..." Miho managed to say.

Hana and Saori joined Yukari and Miho. "For what it's worth, we're here for you." Hana said.

"Yeah. We'll be here as long as you need." Saori added.

Yukari looked around for a moment. "Hey, anyone seen Mako?" She asked the group.

"I think I heard her say she needed to use the restroom." Captain Chono replied.

Everyone heard a gunshot coming from the hallway by the restrooms. The Captain ran down the hallway to the restroom and went in. She came back out and yelled for a medic. They came in and soon came back out with Mako on a stretcher, with what looked like a self inflicted wound on her chest. The Captain kept the girls from going after the medics, knowing they were still upset over their other loss.

...

The Captain was given a note that was found on Mako's person. "I have lived through things that I don't think any girl my age should have to. I've met some wonderful people, and I can't thank them enough for the good times, love and affection they've all given me. Since the war started, I've been having nightmares every night. I just can't go on. I can't do it anymore. I've been depressed for years, and my low blood sugar didn't help. I'm so sorry, everyone. This is all I can do. Maybe now, I can see mom again. Please don't shed any tears for me. I love you all. Goodbye."

"She had some demons." The Captain said out loud, then handed the note to General Kiyofumi.

After he read it, he folded it up. "I wish she would've said something. We could've helped her. Now those girls have to live with a second friend's death."

"We should keep an eye out for them."

...

The rest of Anglerfish was taken to private quarters to meet with a therapist. Captain Chono came in to sit with them, bringing Shiho Nishizumi, Miho and Maho's mother, in as well. Miho ran over to her mom, hugging her tight. "Miss Nishizumi, thank you for coming." The Captain said.

"Captain. I only have one question." Shiho started.

"I'll do my best to answer."

"Did Maho pass on valiantly? Like a hero?"

"She passed in the defense of Japan, and even saved these girls' lives before it happened. It was a true honor to have served with her."

"Mom, I'm so sorry." Miho cried into her mom's blouse.

Shiho went down on one knee and looked Miho in the eye, letting tears slip out. "Miho, don't be. None of this was your fault. I'm just glad you're safe."

Shiho pulled her daughter in for a hug. "What'll we do now?" Miho asked.

"Well figure something out."

...

The funeral for the crew of the 2-140 and for Mako came all to soon for some. General Kiyofumi oversaw the proceedings. "We are gathered today in remembrance of these three brave souls whose lives were tragically cut short by a senseless war. They fought bravely in the defense of their country and its citizens. We now release you from your duties. Maho Nishizumi, Erika Itsumi and Mako Reizei, we thank you for your service. May you rest in peace."

Seven JGSDF soldiers stood in formation, awaiting orders. Captain Chono turned and looked at them. She called out 'ready, aim, fire' three times in the traditional twenty one gun salute.

...

A couple of weeks had gone by and the wounds left in the wake of the war were still fresh. Miho, Yukari, Hana and Saori went to visit the site where the first shot of the war was fired, where their original Panzer was hit. The Panzer was fully restored, but was kept at the site. Next to it was a plaque with Yukari's face on it, and a short message. 'At this place, the opening sounds of the Child's War were heard. The first victim of violence was Yukari Akiyama. She survived and went on to fight against the North Korean military forces. May her bravery serve as an example to us all.'

Miho turned and looked at Yukari. "You know, while everything that happened was sad, but you really did serve as an example for us all.'

"I couldn't have done it without friends like you all." Yukari responded.

Hana and Saori left the two of them alone, as Miho said there was something she needed to talk over with Yukari. Once they were alone, Miho took Yukari's hands. "Yukari, I wanted to ask you something."

"What's up?"

"I've been alone since... You know." Miho trailed off.

"If there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask." Yukari replied.

"I also feel kinda bad for the time in the hospital bed."

"Well, that was partly me, too."

Miho squeezed Yukari's hands. "I really need someone brave like you in my life. And since Maho is... Not with us, I wanted to know if you'd like to be there for me. Holding my hand, being someone special to me."

Yukari kept her gaze locked on Miho. "Are you asking me to be your... Girlfriend?"

"Yes. I really like you, and I'd be honored if you'd say yes. You're my hero. You're a hero to the whole country."

Yukari thought about it for a moment and was soon ready to answer. "I think I'd like that."

Miho kissed her now girlfriend on the lips. "Thanks."

...

Miho and Yukari were sitting together in Captain Chono's office, having just been in a meeting with her. They went to leave and were stopped by Shiho. She had been spending more time with Miho since their loss. "Miho, how are you today?"

"Doing fine, mom."

Shiho kissed Miho on the cheek. "Miho hon, I need to have a word with miss Akiyama. Can you excuse us?"

Miho agreed and went down the hall for a moment. "Miss Akiyama, you've been a godsend to Miho." Shiho started. "I have the feeling that your continued friendship with my little girl has helped keep her from doing something drastic."

"It's been good for me too, you know. I really like her, and I wouldn't want her to leave us."

"I wanted to give you two my blessing. I would love to have you dating my daughter."

Yukari's heart skipped a beat at what Shiho just told her. "Oh my, I don't know what to say."

"I would really like to have grandchildren. I'll let you date her, only if you can promise me you'll stick it out with her. Understandably, two girls can't reproduce, but we can figure something out."

Yukari blushed. "Children? Um, okay. I'm sure we can-"she stopped as Shiho interrupted.

"I mean it. You two can be together, but I better see grandbabies before too long."

Yukari stopped for a moment to envision herself, happily married to Miho. "Mrs Yukari Nishizumi." She said dreamily.

"Now you're getting it. You don't have to get married right away, but keep it on mind. Now, I believe Miho is waiting for you."

Yukari bowed to Shiho and went over to rejoin Miho.

...

There's still another two chapters left in the main story, and there will be side stories to follow.

...

New vehicles

Korean: M-2017 Neugdae tank destroyer variant. Main armament: 152mm high velocity anti tank gun. Secondary: 14.5mm KPVT machine : thickness classified, nano crystal steel/composite with transparent ceramics, Kontakt-5 ERA. Engine: Daewoo TV-12/s, quad turbo diesel V12, 1,550hp. This vehicle is simply a Neugdae with a high velocity anti tank gun.

Kuromorimine: Leopard 2-140. Main armament: Rheinmetall 140mm smoothbore gun with : 2x MG3A1 7.62mm machine guns. Crew: 4 ( commander, driver, loader, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, 3rd generation composite, high hardness steel, tungsten and plastic filler with composite, ERA. Engine: MTU MB 873 Ka-501 twin turbo diesel, 1,500hp. The 2-140 is a Leopard 2 with a 140mm gun. The size of the gun warrants special counterweights on the back of the turret and offset of the main gun.


	10. Chapter 9

I do not own Girls und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

...

Chapter 9: starting to heal

...

Anglerfish team decided to pay Pravda A visit to see how they were holding up. They went to a medical pavilion, as they heard some of the girls were starting to feel the effects of PTSD. They met with Nonna, who was waiting on the hallway outside one of the therapist's rooms. Nina was feeling the worst, having pulled the trigger so many times and felling so many enemies. Nonna was standing with Alisa, who was also present in moral support for her team. "Nonna San, Alisa San, how are you today?" Miho asked as Anglerfish all bowed.

Alisa and Nonna returned the gesture. "Nishizumi San, we're fine, except for some of our members." Nonna started. "Nina can hardly go about her normal duties without panicking over the slightest thing."

"Naomi almost had a complete breakdown, realizing that she was firing live rounds at live targets, and people were actually being hurt. How are you, miss Nishizumi?" Alisa began

Miho took Yukari's hand. "It's been rough, without sis and without Mako." She squeezed Yukari's hand. "We're starting to move past."

Katyusha and Nina came out of the therapist's room with a different look about them. Katyusha looked at Miho and bowed to her, and she returned the gesture. "So... Are you all here for the same reason?" Katyusha asked

"No, we just came to visit you all." Miho answered.

"Are they putting you on meds too?" Nina asked.

"They want me to take meds, but I don't want to. As long as I've got my mom and this lady right here..." She trailed off as she kissed Yukari on the cheek. "I think I'll be okay."

...

Their day went on and they made their way to the final resting place of Maho, Erika and Mako. The first stop was by Maho's grave. All of the girls bowed to the plot and Miho sat a lone orchid before the headstone. She put her hand on the plot and started to tear up slightly. "We can't thank you enough, sis." Miho started. "We'll take over, you can rest now. God knows, you've earned it."

Next, they stopped by Erika's plot. They again bowed to the plot. "Miss Itsumi, you were a dear friend to sis and myself. Thanks for everything you've done."

When they went to visit Mako's grave, they saw Midoriko on her knees, crying over the plot. "I'm so sorry. So sorry. I had no idea you felt that way."

When she noticed Anglerfish behind her, she turned around and stayed on her knees before them. "Midoriko... You okay?" Miho asked.

"No, not at all... I can't eat, I can't sleep... Guys, I had no idea she was suffering so bad." She cried as she bowed. "I wouldn't have pushed her or gotten on her case if I'd known."

Everyone stood silent as Midoriko cried. Yukari and Miho leaned down and picked her up to face them. "We had no way of telling either." Yukari said quietly. "We always passed it off as her medical condition, with the low blood sugar."

"Yeah, she never told us, even up to the end. It was hard for us too, you know." Miho added.

"If you want to take it out on me, I understand. I pushed her. I deserve whatever you want to do to me." Midoriko said, closing her eyes.

Anglerfish surrounded her and came in for a group hug. Midoriko didn't know what to think. "We don't hold a grudge with you." Hana whispered to her.

"But I..." Midoriko started, but was interrupted.

"Nothing we do to you would bring her back." Miho told her. "But I certainly hope you'll be more careful about how you push people."

"I will. I'll be easier on everyone. I don't want this to happen again."

...

Anglerfish returned to the administrative complex to meet with Captain Chono and General Kiyofumi. They saluted their commanding officers when they met. "Ladies, we have here a roster with your official ranks and positions, as they will be reflected with the army." There General said as he handed Miho a piece of paper.

The paper read 'Sergeant Akiyama, Yukari. Tank crew loader. Sergeant Isuzu, Hana. Tank crew gunner. Sergeant first class Nishizumi, Miho. Tank crew commander. Sergeant Takebe, Saori. Communications specialist.' Everyone looked the paper over. "What about Maho, Erika and Mako?" Miho asked.

The General handed her another piece of paper. "Please wait until you've had enough time for recovery before you read this." He told them. "We're having a plaque commissioned for a museum dedicated to those who fought and those who passed on. The groundbreaking will be soon. We'd be honored if you ladies could be there."

All of the girls agreed that they'd be present. "And ladies..." Captain Chono started. "If you'd like to remain on at the academy, I'd like for you to join me as assistant teachers for the tankery program. I don't need an answer right away, but I feel as though you all are qualified for the position."

Hana looked at the paper again. "So, if I went into the army full time, I'd be a tank crew gunner?" She asked the officers.

"Yes. You've shown incredible skill with the handling of a tank's gun." The General answered.

"And I'd be a communications specialist?" Saori asked.

"Of course. You have proven more than apt at performing the duties required. Using tricks like text messaging when the enemy uses radio interception was quite sharp of you."

Yukari and Miho looked at each other and smiled. "We can stay on as assistants." Yukari said, her lisp from missing teeth starting to come out again.

"Akiyama, we'll have to do something about your teeth." The General started, making Yukari cover her mouth. "Since you're hailed as a national hero, I'm sure we could arrange for you to have implants at no cost to yourself."

Yukari started to smile again, but stopped, knowing her smile was still off. "I'd really like that!"

...

The ladies made a trip to the tank hangar to see how well the restorations of the other tanks was coming along. They saw troops from the United States, the Russian Federation, Germany, France, Great Britain, The People's Republic of China, The Republic of Korea (South Korea), Italy and Japan were buzzing around the hangar, restoring the tanks. They saw Katyusha and Nonna standing by their Object 279, while it was being cleaned up by the Russians. "This one certainly proved to be tough, taking on modern armor like it did." Miho said.

"It sure is tough," Katyusha started. "it went through tough testing when it was made by the Soviet Union, and then mopped up modern Korean tanks. She's a beast, alright."

Colonel Bogdanovich walked up to the ladies, and all of the Russian troops stopped to salute him, and he returned the gesture, then they went back to work. "I think you should know about this particular vehicle."

"Anything we don't already know?" Nonna asked.

"As you already know, the Object 279 was designed to be used where nuclear weapons are used, and your team saw how well it stood up to the shockwave of the Father of all bombs, when modern tanks flipped over."

"We knew it was designed for that, yes." Katyusha responded.

"I looked up the serial number and checked it with the Russian Ministry of Defense, and it appears that this one was directly involved in nuclear testing in the Soviet Union. Specifically, it was present in Kazakhstan for a round of testing with an RDS-37 bomb."

Katyusha looked at the tank and back at the Colonel. "If memory serves me right, wasn't that a Hydrogen Bomb?"

"Yes. It was our first true Hydrogen bomb. The tank did not flip over. A good portion of the paint was burned off, the thermal sight system was damaged from the heat, the machine gun was ripped off and the external fuel tanks ruptured. But even after all of that, the tank was found to be completely operational. The built in radiation shield made it so that the crew would have survived the burst of radiation."

Everyone looked on in silence, both in respect and in horror of what this tank had seen. They all knew what nuclear weapons were capable of, and they were honored that they were in the presence of something that was so strong. "I guess it's no surprise, that a tank that withstood a hydrogen bomb blast wouldn't be felled so easily." Katyusha noted.

"Of course. The Iron Will of the Russian people was often made into their works."

The ladies made it over to St. Gloriana's Challenger II and saw that it was almost finished being restored. The armor on the turret and hull had been repaired, and the road wheels had been replaced. It only needed the tracks to be repaired to be considered complete. They saw Darjeeling, Assam, Orange Pekoe and Rosehip near the tank. "We're so glad you all survived that missile." Miho told them.

"Barely, but we did." Darjeeling began. "The Challenger II still has a spotless record of having not lost any units in battle. Severely damaged yes, but not completely destroyed."

One of the British soldiers was there as a translator, since most of the others didn't know Japanese. "You can chalk that up to the Dorchester armor." He told the ladies.

One of the other British soldiers said something in English that none of them understood. "He says 'if you had anything less than the best, we might have seen you in a pine box'. Please forgive him." The translator said.

"Oh, there's nothing to forgive. We're just glad to be alive right now because of this tank." Assam said with a smile.

Anglerfish finally made it to their Leopard 2A1 and stopped to look it over. There were sill some scratches and burn marks from the fighting it had seen, but it was still very much ready to fight again if the need came up. Miho, Yukari, Hana and Saori put their hands on its hull. "Hard to think that we survived a war with North Korea." Yukari started. "But it was thanks to the Leopard."

After leaving the hangar, they stopped to read what was on the paper that General Kiyofumi had given them. It read 'Shortly before summer break, on July 7th, 2017, the schools of Oarai and Pravda were pariticpating in a friendly tank battle when they came under fire from the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Fifth armored division. The only casualty this day was Yukari Akiyama. She survived the contact and went on to later fight the Korean army in the Japanese leg of the 'Child's war'. The conflict was so named since nearly all of the combatants were high school aged girls who had not yet graduated.  
While the roads and buildings, stores and homes can be rebuilt, war still has a terrible price to pay. First Lieutenant Maho Nishizumi, Second Lieutenant Erika Itsumi and First Sergeant Mako Reizei left this world as a result of the conflict. They fought bravely up until the end, and their sacrifices go to show that anyone can be a hero, that anyone can stand up for their country and their people, and that the human spirit is stronger than steel. Even in the face of superior numbers and training, not a single fighter from any of the schools involved backed down.

They fought battles, both silent and loud, against a fearsome enemy. While they are no longer with us, it is our duty to not let their memory fade away. May their courage serve as an example for us all to follow.

Rest well now, for you have earned it. We will carry on the watch for you.'

Miho hurriedly took Yukari's hand and squeezed it tight as she again felt tears forming. "You know, it kinda just now hit me." Miho began. "We lived through that. We really survived that."

Everyone gathered around for another group hug to comfort Miho. "Your leadership helped us." Yukari told her.

"Yeah, we're alive because of your thinking." Saori said.

"Don't let it get you down too much. We'll be here for you." Hana said.

...

The groundbreaking came up, and all of the ladies from all of the schools involved were in attendance. Officials from high up in the JGSDF were there, with General Wanquan, Colonel Bogdanovich, Major Riley, Captain Chono and a few other officers. General Kiyofumi started the ceremony. "The Child's war is still fresh to everyone, but we have managed to secure this ground for a museum to honor those who fought, both living and those who have passed. The young women from Oarai, Kuromorimine, Pravda, Saint Gloriana, Anzio and Saunders all fought bravely against an enemy well exceeding their own numbers and training. We lost First Lieutenant Maho Nishizumi, Second Lieutenant Erika Itsumi and First Sergeant Mako Reizei as a direct result of the conflict. Still, none of the ladies backed down even once. They showed courage on par with the most dedicated soldiers in the world."

General Wanquan stepped up next. "Never in all of my years have I seen young ladies such as yourselves fighting with such conviction. Myself, as well as all of the troops from the People's Liberation Army that fought alongside you, are honored to have done so." He looked at General Kiyofumi, who nodded. "It is my great pleasure to announce that the war has concluded. Forces from the Twelfth Tibetan Special Forces and the Second Artillery corps entered the capitol city of Pyongyang, North Korea, as of noon yesterday. General Fan Changlong had the pleasure of kicking down the door to Kim Jung-Un's headquarters and issuing surrender papers to them. The war has officially, unconditionally ended as of today, at twelve o'clock am. We have also informed him that if he tries anything like this again, there will no longer be a North Korea, but rather, a 'South China'."

General Wanquan received a standing ovation upon delivery of the news. Once the crowd calmed down, Captain Chono went up next. "Ladies, it has been a great pleasure to have taught you what I have, and I cannot be happier in knowing that you made it through that senseless war. This day and this museum is for you and those who are no longer with us. May this humble building remain as a shrine to yourselves and the ones not here."

General Kiyofumi took the shovel and stepped back up to the mic. "Sergeant Yukari Akiyama, please step forward."

Yukari looked at her teammates and went up to the General's side. He handed her the shovel. "General, what is this for?" She asked.

"Since you were the first victim of violence, we feel as though you should be the one to break ground here. Would you do us the honor?"

"Yes, sir!" She answered as she saluted.

She stepped into the field and looked around, then stuck the shovel in the ground and stepped on it, leaning it back and removing the first clump of dirt. The crowd went wild again.

...

Some time later, Yukari had set up a date with Miho, to propose as Shiho had requested. She picked a quiet bistro on the outskirts of Oarai. They sat down and looked over the menu, and soon decided what they were getting. Yukari ordered the Sansai Udon, and Miho the Yakisoba. Yukari slipped away to inform the staff of how she intended to pop the question, so nobody would be suspicious of what she was doing. She got the ring ready and kept it in her pocket.

Once their meals were finished, they sat together, sipping on their drinks. Yukari looked off into the distance to distract Miho, which worked, pulling her attention away from the table. She took the ring from her pocket and dropped it into her drink. When she turned back around, she saw Yukari sitting still with an odd smile on her face. She tilted her glass up and saw the ring. She pulled it out and looked it over, wondering how it got in there. When she looked back at Yukari, she was on one knee and took Miho's free hand. "Miho Nishizumi, I have always admired you, and was overjoyed when I found out we were on the same tankery team. Your smile carried the entire team through many battles, and certainly helped me get through the pain I felt at the start of the war." Yukari started.

"Yukari, what are you-" Miho began, but was interrupted.

"Miss Nishizumi, your mother has said we can be together, but only if we go all the way. I want to make an honest woman of you, and I want to settle down and start a family with you. Will you please do me the great honor of being my bride?"

Miho looked at Yukari, then back at the ring, then back at Yukari. "Mom said we have to go all the way, huh?"

"Yes. She said... well, she wants..."

"I know, grandchildren. I guess this falls on me."

Yukari looked Miho in the eyes as she looked back and forth between the ring and her. "Please. I'll do my best to make you happy."

"I know you will. Yukari, I will marry you." Miho replied, as she slipped the ring on her finger.

Yukari came up and hugged her now fiance.

...


	11. Chapter 10

I do not own Girls und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

...

Chapter 10: Almost like normal.

...

Some time had passed since the beginning of the Child's War, and everyone was starting to return to normal. Terms of surrender for North Korea included reparations in currency for the damages to buildings, homes, roads and what not. Kim Jong-Un had been made to formally apologize for his actions in sending the KPAGF Fifth Armored in to begin the war, and he was given another warning by China, Russia and the United States to never try anything again, or the three nations would converge on North Korea and return hostilities. The museum had been built and only needed to have its official dedication for it to be totally finished, as the tanks had already been parked inside. Anglerfish was helping put the finishing touches on the building when they heard large trucks coming in with a full JGSDF/ROK (Republic of Korea/ South Korea) Armed forces escort. What caught everyone's eyes were the covered vehicles on the trailers. Soon after the trucks stopped, soldiers uncovered the vehicles, which were tanks bearing the South Korean flag. Miho, Hana and Saori looked over at Yukari, who was wide eyed as ever, and already knew everything about the vehicles they were seeing. "So, I take it you know what those are, hon?" Miho asked.

"Omigosh, yes!" Yukari chirped with excitement. "Those are South Korean K2 Black Panther tanks! They're the most advanced tanks in the world, and the most expensive."

"Guess the flag should've been a giveaway." Hana chuckled.

"What do you think they're doing here?" Saori asked.

General Kiyofumi walked from the convoy of trucks and approached the team. "I see you've already seen the little surprise." He laughed.

"What do you mean, surprise?" Miho asked.

"These are a gift from Park Gyun-hye, the president of South Korea. She had them sent over to stand guard at the entrance of the museum."

"But, those are very expensive." Yukari noted.

"Oh yes, they certainly are. But the South Korean president must know what she's doing. Besides, if anyone knows how much of a pain the North Korean army can be, it's them. So, let's just trust her judgement."

Before too long, the low-boy style trailers had been disconnected and the tanks could be driven off of them. Anglerfish started to wonder what was going on. "General, why are the tanks just sitting there?" Yukari asked.

"They need to be driven off." The General answered.

"Can't those soldiers do it?" Miho asked.

"I suppose they could, but they won't"

Everyone looked at each other for a moment. "Who will drive them?" Yukari asked.

"Uhh, okay. Those soldiers are from the JGSDF Second Infantry regiment. The others are from the South Korean 9th infantry division. Both are capable of fighting tanks, but I dare say none of them can readily drive them. I know how, but I am only one person, and I'm quite tired from driving already."

"So, who will drive..." Yukari trailed off. "Do we drive them?" She asked, with an excited look on her face.

"There we go. I'd like for you ladies to drive them around to the range and test them out, then bring them back here to be parked on guard at the museum entrance. Both of them have been fueled and are loaded."

Yukari appeared to have fainted, but Miho caught her. "Don't pass out yet, we still need to drive these." Miho told her. "But wait, we'll need drivers."

"Already handled."

Hippo team and Turtle team came around the corner and greeted Anglerfish. Oryou and Yuzu Koyama, the drivers of their respective teams, stepped forward to help them as drivers. Anglerfish and their temporary drivers went over and boarded the K2 tanks. Once inside, they noticed just how advanced the tanks really were. All of the displays were high definition, provided by Samsung electronics, in conjunction with Hyundai Rotem (The K2 manufacturer). When all of the systems were booted up and the driver's display said the engines were idling, everyone stopped for a moment. "The display says that the engine is running, idling at 688 rpm. But I don't hear or feel anything." Oryou said.

"Akiyama, I take it you can answer that concern." The General said over the radio.

"Of course. The K2's we're sitting in feature locally produced licensed copies of the German MTU 890 diesel engine. They're very quiet and solid. Nobody will feel anything until you bury the gas pedal." Yukari replied.

Both tanks slowly made it off of the trailers and lined up on the path to the range. Oryou accelerated and everyone in the tank could feel it. Its engine spun up rather quickly and the tank came up to its top speed fast. Once on the range, the AT threat indicator woke up and displayed "Medium armor, Soviet, T-72, active tracking thermal/radar, friendly unit" and "Heavy armor, Russian, Object 640, passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar, friendly unit". Miho knew who it was immediately. "Anglerfish calling friendly units. Please identify." She called over the radio.

"Katyusha here, playing with our new toys. What are you doing in South Korean tanks?" Katyusha responded.

"They're for the museum. We're testing them out before parking them. These were actually sent over by the president of South Korea." Miho answered. " What about you? And what the heck is an Object 640?"

"Ours were sent over by the Russian president himself, Vladimir Putin. They gave us a bunch of T-72 units and a handful of Object 640 'Black Eagle' tanks. The Object 640 was experimental, like the Object 195 was, and Mr. Putin says he'd like to see them put to use by someone."

Practice ensued and both teams started blasting rounds downrange. Pravda's Object 640 made the biggest explosions, packing a 152mm gun. They were given orders not to fire at each other, since neither school had practice ammunition, only live rounds. After a few minutes passed, all teams' AT threat indicators lit up with something new. 'Heavy armor, Chinese, VT-4, passive tracking thermal/radar/sonar/laser/satellite, friendly unit' was displayed. Suddenly, the unit seemed to vanish from tracking. Everyone was looking around and they saw dust being kicked up as if a tank was moving, but they didn't see a tank. They tried finding it with thermal, both active and passive, and couldn't see it. Sonar was having trouble finding it, getting erroneous readings. Laser tracking failed, not even getting a distance. Finally, the phantom vehicle came to stop in between the schools' lineups and made itself visible again. "What the heck is that?" Katyusha asked.

"This is a Chinese MBT 3000." Taeko replied. "It's got a new cloaking system that completely blocks it from vision, thermal, radar and apparently sonar."

"That's kinda scary that the Chinese put that on their tanks." Miho replied.

"Makes it so that you can get right up on the enemy without them noticing, or slip away just as easy." Noriko responded.

"Huh. But why the satellite tracking?" Saori asked.

"All other forms of tracking can be picked up and potentially defeated." Yukari replied. "Notice how when it went invisible, all of its tracking stopped. Our tanks couldn't see the Chinese tank's location or detect any of its tracking measures, but I bet they could see every move we made."

"Sure did. This puppy has a 'VR battle zone builder', I think they called it. It makes a virtual reality map, displays friendly and enemy positions, and even shows what kind of vehicles there are. Best part is, satellite comms and tracking are completely immune to jamming systems." Taeko continued.

"I take it you could also see past the jamming on a T90A?" Nonna asked.

"Of course. The T90A might not even be able to see it in the first place."

...

After practice and parking the K2 tanks at the entrance, Oarai and Pravda gathered near the museum entrance to chat and eat a light meal. Nonna took notice of the rings Yukari and Miho were wearing. "Beg pardon, but are you two... involved?" Nonna asked.

Miho leaned over and kissed Yukari on the cheek. "Yes. We're set to get married." Miho answered happily.

"I'll be the next Nishizumi!" Yukari added.

"You're taking my name?"

"Yep. Your mom wants grandchildren, and I feel like it's only right that they should bear the family name."

"She probably wants the bloodline to continue, not just the name."

"So, that means that you'll be the one carrying the children?" Katyusha asked.

"Well, at least one of them."

General Kiyofumi joined the ladies with news. "Ladies, I see everyone is acquainted with their vehicles."

Everyone nodded. "They couldn't even see us until we were right next to them." Taeko chuckled.

"Ah. General Wanquan said you might enjoy that feature. Anyway, Miss Akiyama, a couple of things. First, I wanted to congratulate you for some things. One, on being engaged. The other, on cheating death."

"Umm, thanks. But what do you mean, cheating death? Was it in the Panzer?"

"Yes. I had the weirdest feeling, and I started looking over the pictures of the damage. Judging by where you were sitting, the armor piercing round passed just a couple of inches in front of your face."

"I do remember seeing something pass right in front of my face just before everything went dark for a moment."

"I've also been in contact with army medical services. You'll go tomorrow morning for your implants."

Everyone looked at Yukari with different looks. "What is everyone looking at?" Yukari asked.

"When he says implants, does he mean boobs or teeth?" Katyusha asked.

Yukari looked down at her chest and back at Katyusha with a heavy blush. "Teeth! Besides, what's wrong with my girls anyway?"

"Her boobs are fine. She's getting tooth implants." Miho defended her.

"I'm going to leave this one alone." The General said as he started walking away.

"You shouldn't be worried about them anyway," Nonna said. "Yukari and Miho will be the only ones to see them."

"I guess you're right on that one." Yukari said as she put her arm around Miho.

...

Morning came and Miho went with Yukari to the medical pavilion for her implants. They stopped in the hallway before going in, Miho pulling her fiance in for a kiss. The kiss went French, and Miho's tongue slipped in between the gums that had no teeth. Slightly shocked by this, Miho broke free. "Oh, I'm so sorry for that."

Yukari chuckled and smiled, not caring that her smile was still incomplete. "It's okay. That was a bit strange, but I'm about to get new teeth anyway."

Miho took Yukari's hand and they went inside. The dentist saw her right away. She handed him sets of x-rays, which she had been getting since the injury occurred and were necessary for the procedure. She laid back in the chair and Miho took her hand as the dentist started giving her the anesthetic.

After the procedure, Miho escorted Yukari to the market to get soft foods, as she was under orders to keep away from hard foods for a couple of weeks. When they made it back home to their shared apartment, they were greeted by Shiho. "How are my ladies doing today?" She asked. "I take it she just came from the dentist?"

"Hehe, yes, ma'am." Yukari said, still woozy from the anesthetic. "I'll be okay soon enough."

"What brings you to our neighborhood?" Miho asked as she unlocked and opened the door.

"I wanted to spend some time with my daughter and future daughter in law." Shiho replied as she went into the kitchen to prepare some tea.

Miho took Yukari back to their bedroom and laid her to rest for a little while, then returned to the living room to sit with her mother. "You've been keeping up with us pretty well, huh?"

Shiho sipped lightly on her tea. "Of course. As my only remaining daughter, and the last of the Nishizumi, I feel like it's my duty to. I see she has already proposed to you." She said, noting the ring.

Miho held up her hand and showed the ring more clearly. "She did it so sweet. We were at a restaurant and she slipped it in my drink. When I found it and then looked back, she was on one knee."

Shiho started hugging her daughter like never before. "I'm so happy you're still here." She said, a slight tremble in her voice. "I know it's a lot of pressure, being the last of us. I'm sure you'll be happy with Yukari."

Miho felt a tear roll down her cheek as she returned the hug. "I know I will. She even said she's going to take our name. I'll have to have the first child, though."

"Get to your wedding, first. I'm okay with you two living together, even sharing a bed, since you're engaged. But please, wait until you're married before you start trying to have any children."

"We were planning to do that anyway."

...

Months had gone by and the country was in the grip of winter. Anglerfish had been asked to be interviewed for a documentary about the Child's war. All of them agreed and showed up on time. First to be interviewed was Yukari.

*This part of the story will differ slightly from the rest*

Interviewer (IT): So, Miss Yukari Akiyama. You were the first person injured in the war. Is that correct?

Yukari: Yes.

IT: Would you care to tell us exactly what happened?

Yukari: Okay. We were having a practice match against Pravda when the Korean People's Army Ground Force came in with their fifth armored. We were only in a Panzer from World War Two, they were in P'okp'ung-Ho tanks, which are modern. They fired an armor piercing round at the tank, that I was the only one inside of at the time. The round passed through the turret pretty easily. Part of the turret broke loose and hit me in the face, breaking my cheekbone and jaw, and knocking a bunch of my teeth completely out.

IT: Forgive me if this sounds rude, but you don't appear to be missing any teeth.

Yukari: I had implants put in, courtesy of the army.

IT: You're also sporting an engagement ring. Who is to be your husband?

Yukari: Not husband, wife. I'm engaged to Miho Nishizumi.

IT: Have your parents accepted your choice?

Yukari: Yes. They know I'm getting married, and we do plan to try and have children. I know two girls can't make a baby, but we have an idea how we're going to do it.

IT: Who will be the birth mother?

Yukari: Her first, then after awhile, I'll have the second.

IT: I suppose you'll be tankery instructors at Oarai academy?

Yukari: Yes.

IT: What exactly will you teach your students?

Yukari: We'll teach them all of the essentials of tankery like we were, but we'll also teach them the horrors of armored combat.

IT: Why do you plan to teach them that?

Yukari: So maybe that they'll find someone to settle down with and try to keep them from the battlefield where they could maybe get hurt.

...

Next was Miho.

IT: Miss Miho Nishizumi, you were the commander of the Panzer, and then later the Leopard 2, correct?

Miho: Yes.

IT: What went through your mind when you saw what happened to Yukari?

Miho: Terror. I saw her coming up out of the turret, covered in blood and shaking really badly.

IT: What did you do after that?

Miho: We tried calling for help over the radio, but the Korean troops had some kind of jammer running. Saori sent up a flare, and before too long, the Korean armored units were upon us.

IT: Did you try fighting them?

Miho: Not right away, no. When they came up to us, I stood ground and kept them from getting too close to the team while they looked over Yukari.

IT: I spoke to General Kiyofumi and Captain Chono. They said that what you did was beyond brave for someone of your age and stature.

Miho: I took responsibility as the team commander, and in doing so assumed responsibility for their safe return. I would've readily taken a bullet for any member of my team, then or now.

IT: If it's not too much trouble, what happened to your elder sister?

(Miho sent a message to Yukari to enter the room, and she came in to take a seat next to her, holding her hand)  
Miho: I'll need her to be here for support.

IT: Very well.

Miho: It was during the final battle, where we took the enemy HQ. The KPA had brought in their newest tank destroyer, which actually registered on our systems as a field gun. We thought we had knocked it out, but only its engine and hydraulics.

IT: So it shouldn't have been able to turn and shoot?

Miho: It still had a hand crank system, so it could still very well turn and shoot. Sis noticed it turning toward us at the last second and shouted for us to get down. Then... it fired... and hit her tank.

IT: The tank was destroyed?

Miho (tears starting to form): Yes. The tank was destroyed, and I found her laying next to it... (tears steadily rolling now)

Yukari: You okay, hon?

Miho: I'm sorry, I can't say anymore. (turns and rests her head in Yukari's chest, as Yukari begins hugging her)

IT: We still have-

Yukari (interrupts, angry): She said she can't say anymore.

...

Hana came in next.

IT: Miss Hana Isuzu. You were the gunner of Oarai's Anglerfish team.

Hana: Yes.

IT: You're dressed in an army uniform. Why is that?

Hana: General Kiyofumi told us that we're all in the army, and after the war ended in Japan, he told me I could stay in the army as a tank crew gunner.

IT: You're pursuing that as your career now?

Hana: Hardly. When you like what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.

IT: You weren't traumatized by the war?

Hana: I have a touch of PTSD, but I'm managing it well.

IT: What about your family? Didn't your mother basically disown you?

Hana: In a sense. That all faded when she found out I was fighting in the war, and then that we survived it.

IT: Does she see you as the hero that others do?

Hana: Yes. She says she's honored to have a daughter who would fight like I did.

...

Finally, Saori came in.

IT: Miss Saori Takebe. You're also in uniform. I take it you're going after a career in the army?

Saori: Sure am. I'm going to be a communications specialist.

IT: I hear that the KPA jammed your radios when they first showed up. How did you manage to get a signal out?

Saori: They jammed us every time, not just the first time. But the first time, I sent up a flare to signal an S.O.S., which everyone saw. Once the Koreans left us and the radio came back online, I told the military officials that we had an injured person and exactly where we were at.

IT: Your first aid saved Yukari's life.

Saori: We're thankful of that.

IT: Who was it that started first aid?

Saori (starting to look sad): That would be Mako. Mako Reizei.

IT: Whatever became of her?

Saori: That's not exactly a happy subject for us.

IT: She was also claimed by the conflict?

Saori: In a manner of speaking.

IT: Are you able to tell us how she went?

Saori: I'd really rather not.

...

After the interviews were over, Anglerfish met at the administration complex to meet with Captain Chono and General Kiyofumi. "So, how did the interviews go?" The Captain asked.

"A little rough, with some of the questions." Saori quickly replied.

"Yeah. They asked about Maho." Miho said, squeezing Yukari's hand again.

"I'm terribly sorry if their questions offended or hurt any of you." The General said. "But, I have some news about the current fate of North Korea."

"Is something else going on?" Miho asked.

General Kiyofumi turned on the TV in the office and put in a DVD. It was a recorded news report from North Korea, translated from Korean to Japanese. "In recent happenings, our great leader, Kim Jong Un, has been removed from office. We now welcome our new beloved leader, Kim Han-sol, grandson of our great leader Kim Jong Il."

The news clip went to a press conference where the new leader spoke. "My uncle, Kim Jong Un, nearly plunged our great nation into war with three of the largest and most powerful armies in the world. He was a great leader, yes. But he was foolish to have potentially provoked the combined might of China, Russia and the United States. He was removed from office, as his continued leadership may have been dangerous to our existence. There's a saying, 'do monsters make war, or does war make monsters'? In this case, it was the monster making war. I swear to you, my beloved people of Korea, that I will put the safety and well being of my people before anything else. I will be helping to build us back up to be respectable in the eyes of the world, and we will be prosperous once again."

The General turned the TV off. "Looks like they really didn't like him poking at the bear, the bull and the dragon all at once."

...

A new year rolled around, and Miho stood with Yukari, both as instructors of their new tankery class. They were allowed to teach as they wanted to, merely being observed by Captain Chono. They looked over the bright and smiling faces of their students and soon led them to the tanks that they'd be piloting. One of the students came up and asked them about the Panzer. "Miss Akiyama, Miss Nishizumi, where is the Panzer that you used?"

They looked at each other and then back at their student. "Have you been to Anglerfish memorial hill?" Miho asked.

"Yes. Wait, that was the one from the war?"

"Sure was." Yukari answered.

Their student went wide eyed and excited, just as Yukari always had. "YOU'RE Miss Akiyama from the memorial?"

"Yep! Although, soon I'll be changing my last name."

"Why would you do that?"

"She's getting married. To me." Miho added.

Everyone now gathered in their tanks, with Miho and Yukari on the radio tower like Captain Chono before them, picked up the radio and gave the command "Panzer Vor" for the first time as teachers.

...

New vehicles

Oarai: South Korean K2 "Black Panther". Main armament: Rheinmetall 120mm smoothbore gun with autoloader. Secondary: K6 12.7mm heavy machine gun, 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, composite/steel, ERA, NERA, soft/hard kill missile defense. Engine: Licensed MTU-890 copy, twin turbo diesel V12, 1,500 hp. The South Korean K2 "Black panther" is the most advanced and expensive tank in the world. Its 120mm gun is longer than that of its predecessor, the K1A1, which increases muzzle velocity and overall impact energy. Uses a combination of ERA and NERA (non energetic reactive armor) to help keep its crew alive, as well as a soft/hard kill anti missile system.

Oarai: Chinese VT-4 MBT (MBT3000). Main armament: 125mm smoothbore gun with autoloader. Secondary: 12.7mm RWS (remote weapons station) AA heavy machine gun, 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: thickness and total composition classified, believed to be a combination of hardened steel/composite and ERA. Engine: Dongfeng Motors turbo diesel V12, 1,300hp. The VT-4 MBT was designed as an export model, not likely to see full service with the People's Liberation Army. It is still a fearsome vehicle, able to slug it out with the best modern tanks on the field.

Pravda: Soviet T-72. Main armament: 2A46M-5 125mm smoothbore gun with autoloader. Secondary: 7.62mm PKT coaxial machine gun, 12.7mm NSVT AA heavy machine gun. Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: steel/composite blend, Kontakt-5 and Kaktus ERA. Engine: Supercharged diesel V12, 780 hp. Among the most prolific tanks in the world, the T-72 has over 20,000 units built. Technically, they can be considered a medium tank, in that they only weigh 48 tons. Modern variants are still produced for export.

Pravda: Russian Object 640 "Black Eagle". Main armament (as shown here): 2A83 152mm smoothbore gun with autoloader. Secondary: 7.62mm PKT machine gun, 12.7mm KORD AA heavy machine gun. Crew: 3 (commander, driver, gunner). Armor: thickness classified, steel/composite blend, Kontakt-5, Kaktus, Relikit ERA. Engine: GTD-1400 gas turbine engine, 1,400hp. The Object 640 was being designed by Omsk Transmash until the company went bankrupt. It was capable of using a large 152mm gun, giving it more than enough fight to stand up to armor of the time. Its gas turbine engine was a new idea with Russian tanks. It used an unmanned turret, the idea of which making it into the T-14 Armata.

...

This is the end of the main story. Like with my other story, I plan to have side stories to cintune after the main. Thank you all so much for reading this far.


	12. Chapter 11

I do not own Girls Und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction. Some real names were used, but were used in a purely fictitious manner. Keep in mind, this takes place around 2017-2018.

...

Side story 1, chapter 1: Life after the war

(there will be some OC in this chapter as well)

...

Some time had passed since the conclusion of the Child's War, the survivors getting by as well as they could. Saori had started her career in the JGSDF as a communications specialist, Hana started in the same platoon as a tank crew gunner. Miho and Yukari stayed on as teachers for Oarai academy. They would gather every other week, starting at the Anglerfish memorial, then going out to eat and relax. Occasionally, they would meet up with the others to hang out for awhile. Even though the war had such a high cost to them, the bond they formed while going through school and then taking up arms against the North Korean Army, proved to be indestructible.

One time on their meet up, there were classes from Oarai and Pravda at the memorial. Nonna and Katyusha were also present, having brought teams from Pravda to see Memorial hill, and the chance of meeting some of the other heroes of the war. The girls from the schools all made way and stood at attention as the Anglerfish girls came up. The ladies from Anglersfish and Pravda bowed to each other, as the younger girls also did. "What brings you out this way?" Miho asked Nonna and Katyusha.

"We wanted our girls to meet the first lady of the war." Katyusha replied.

Everyone looked at Yukari. "Awh, I'm nothing special." She said.

"Don't say that. You were the first victim of the war, and you're certainly special to someone." Miho said, holding up her hand to show her engagement ring.

"I owe it to you guys. I wouldn't have made it without you all. Especially Mako..." She trailed off for a moment. "Her first aid kept me alive."

Everyone bowed their heads in respect for Mako. General Kiyofumi approached the group and everyone saluted, which he returned. "Ladies, I see you're all doing well. Miss Akiyama...Or should I say Nishizumi now?"

"Not yet, that's still a little bit away."

"I see. Anyway, I wanted to catch up to you all, and since you all gather here every other week and Miss Nonna and Miss Katyusha were going to gather here this time as well, I thought I'd deliver some news to you all. Your schools will both be getting newer tanks for the national tournament."

Everyone smiled at the news. "General, what years are the tanks?" Katyusha asked.

"They're already parked in the hangar, we would like for you all to make your way there. If you could, please hurry. There are some VIP's there who wanted to meet the lot of you."

...

The younger girls took their leave for their barracks, while Anglerfish and Pravda made their way to the hangar with General Kiyofumi to meet their VIP's and their new tanks. When they arrived, they saw Generals Wanquan and Changlong, surrounded by PLA Honor Guard troopers. They also saw armored Cadillac Limousines, with American and Russian insignia on them. Colonel Bogdanovich walked from the Russian Limo to greet General Kiyofumi and the ladies. "Colonel, nice to see you." Katyusha chirped, in an unusual tone.

"Nice to see you as well. I don't know if you've guessed who some of our guests are, but they're high priority." The Colonel replied.

As the Colonel finished talking, the ladies saw imposing figures in sharp looking suits walking from the motorcades to see them. Katyusha and Nonna instantly recognized the one man, who was Russian President Vladimir Putin. Colonel Bogdanovich was among his personal security team. The man next to him was former United States President Barack Obama, with his Secret Service detail, and under the protection of the Marines from the base. The Chinese Generals and PLA Honor Guard were there with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Security was tight enough that a sneeze would draw a massive amount of negative attention from some of the most dangerous guards in the world.

All of the ladies from both schools stopped and saluted the foreign presidents, who returned the gesture. General Kiyofumi spoke to Putin in Russian, Obama in English and Jinping in Chinese, indicating who each of the ladies was. His use of their language wasn't quite so necessary, as they all had translators with them. They replied, and the leaders all took their turns shaking the hands of the young war heroes. Obama spoke to the General, who translated for him. "Ladies, I would like to express my deepest condolences for your losses. I would also like to congratulate you on your victory over the attacking North Koreans. Lesser souls would not have stood up as well as you did."

Putin spoke to the General next. "It was shameful that Kim Jong-Un would send his army after you young ladies, and to use young ladies from his own country to attack yours."

Jinping spoke next. "I am saddened at the acts that took place that you all had to witness. You ladies should be proud, my troops commented on your bravery, and I know your fellow citizens appreciate your service."

None of the ladies quite knew how to respond to what the world leaders had just said, nor were they sure on how to respond to some of the most powerful men in the world. They gathered up the courage to speak. "Thank you all." Miho started. "We did what we had to, so our fellow citizens could sleep safely at night."

The leaders' translators spoke to their respective parties, who all nodded in respect and consideration of Miho's answer. "We didn't know what we were getting into at first, but we kept going. We wouldn't have been able to live with ourselves if we didn't do anything." Katyusha said, the translators again doing their jobs.

Putin spoke to the General, who spoke to the ladies again. "That weird little number in the museum, did that work out for you?" The General started. "He's probably referring to the Object 279."

"Oh, yes. It performed far better than we could have hoped." Katyusha answered, the translators speaking for her. "When the Father of all bombs detonated, most of the other tanks flipped over. The Object 279 didn't budge, though. Armor piercing shells couldn't make solid contact, they simply bounced off. Even the High Explosive rounds didn't do much."

Putin again spoke to the General after the translator spoke. "It appears he likes the design, and since it performed as well as it was intended to, would like to begin producing modern models. He also would like to know about the Object 195, and he may want to produce more of them if they did well."

"It was able to breach the Neugdae armor with the greatest of ease." Nonna answered. "Some of the captured Korean girls said they were a little scared of it."

After the translator spoke to Putin, he nodded and smiled, then spoke to the General again. "He would like to thank you for your service, and for seeing how well the cancelled tanks performed. What of the T-14 Armata?"

Katyusha chuckled out loud. "The Korean tank crews and troopers in the last battle were scared out of their minds. One of the Neugdae tank destroyers blew a hole through the turret, which would normally kill a tank. The Armata's unmanned turret allowed us to keep fighting, even after the damage. They said it was like trying to fight a ghost."

Putin laughed when his translator relayed the message. Obama spoke to the General next. "Did the Abrams tanks perform well?"

The ladies looked at each other. None of the girls who were in the Abrams tanks were present, but they heard how well they did from the girls who piloted them. "They did just as well as you would think a current generation MBT would." Miho started. "Even with multiple direct hits from Korean tanks, RPG's and autocannons, there was little more than scratches and chips in the armor. The KPA tanks weren't quite so lucky."

Obama's translator relayed the message and he smiled, then spoke to the General. "I am glad to see that they did their job right."

Their meet and greet wound down and the ladies made it to the hangar, which was similarly buzzing with Secret Service, PLA Honor Guard and Russian Secret Service as well as Spetsnaz troopers. Both groups could tell which ones they were getting, and there was another two that were tagged for delivery to Saunders. Katyusha and Nonna walked over to the Russian tanks, one of which being the T54/55. They wondered about it for a second. "Hmm... This one is really more of a postwar tank, seeing more service during the Cold War." Nonna said.

"That may be, but it's okay, according to league regulations." Captain Chono spoke up.

"How so?"

"While the T54/55 was produced and used in vast numbers during the Cold War, its prototype phase was finished and trials began by about March of 1945. League rules say that its prototype has to have been built and performance trials began by August 1945. This one just makes it, so it's approved."

Katyusha looked and saw the other tank they were getting, which was actually a tank destroyer. She looked on with a smile at the sight of the SU-100 tank destroyer. She was aware of its specifications, as it was essentially a T34 hull with a 100mm gun. "I know this one is good to use. There were a couple thousand of these made before August 1945."

Oarai saw their new tanks, one of which they were very familiar with already, the Panerkampfwagen VIII, aka the Maus super heavy tank. They all noticed the number on the turret was different from the one used by Kuromorimine. "Umm, I thought there were only two of these made, Kuromorimine had one and the other was in a museum." Yukari said, unsure of what the monster before her was doing there.

"Let me guess, you believed Wikipedia?" Captain Chono asked. "In reality, eight of these were made, and two of them actually saw live combat. Not too long after they were built, the advancing Soviet Army captured the factory and proving grounds."

"I bet their presence alone on the battlefield shifted the momentum of the fight." Miho said.

"Definitely. Hitler wanted to field these along the Atlantic Wall, further strengthening his hold on Europe. They would've needed special rail cars to ferry them to their destinations, though. They couldn't pass over most bridges, and they couldn't really go off road, as they would sink if the ground was even a little soft."

Everyone turned their attention to the other tank they were receiving. What they saw was an American T29 heavy tank. It was a little imposing, even though the ladies were now used to much bigger or heavier armor. "If I remember correctly, this was made a little too late in the war." Yukari said.

"This one got through by the skin of its teeth, so to speak." Captain Chono responded. "While it was still only really experimental by the end of the war, at least one prototype was built and it had begun trials, not officially entering service. I checked with the league, and they'll allow this one for use in future tournaments."

"I guess they've got some nice new toys to play with in the nationals." Hana said with a smile.

"Hey, what about the ones for Saunders?" Saori asked.

"That would be an M26 Pershing. They were made as a counter to the German armor, its larger gun allowing it to slug it out with most anything they fielded at the time." Yukari answered. "They were used up into the Korean war, but were shelved for the Patton tanks, which were better suited for the terrain they were operating in."

Miho looked at the other tank for Saunders. "What about this one?"

"That one looks like a T30 heavy tank. Basically the same as the T29, just with a bigger gun. Since I guess they were made at the same time, they can also use this in the tournament."

"Correct. Looks like competition will be a little stiffer in the coming years." Captain Chono said.

...

That night after dinner, Miho and Yukari laid down for the night. In typical fashion, they held each other as they drifted off to sleep.

 _Miho stumbled around, feeling jarred awake by the sounds of heavy weapons fire. She looked around and saw the city was mostly destroyed by the Korean Bombing campaign. She could hear screams of people as they tried to flee, but were caught up in the explosions and falling buildings. She looked back and saw the Panzer IV blown open, fire spewing out of the turret. Her heart sank at the thought of her loved one dying like that. She started to try and run for the tank, but she tripped over an empty 75mm shell. She could hear Yukari's voice calling out, but starting to fade._

Miho jumped awake and rolled, falling out of the bed. Yukari quickly woke up and went to her fiance's side to help her. "What's wrong?"

Miho started crying, then buried her face in Yukari's chest as Yukari wrapped her arms around her. "Oh my god, it was terrible. Everything was on fire, people were screaming and then you were... You were..."

Yukari started lightly stroking the nape of her neck. "It's okay, I'm here. Let it all out."

"It was a nightmare... that's all, it was a nightmare. It just felt way too real."

...

End side story 1 ch 1

...

New vehicles

Pravda: Soviet T54/55. Main armament: D-10T 100mm rifled gun. Secondary: 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor: thickness varies throughout, hardened steel with welded additional plates, sometimes ERA. Engine: Model V-55 water cooled diesel V12, 500hp. The T54/55 is the most prolific tank in the world, with an estimated 100,000 plus licensed and unlicensed units of different variants built by the Soviet Union and others throughout the Cold War. While hopelessly outmatched by modern armor, it was a grave threat to western armor of the time.

Pravda: SU-100 Tank Destroyer. Main armament: D-10S smoothbore gun. Secondary: 7.62mm DT machine gun. Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader). Armor: 75mm front, 45mm sides and rear, hardened steel. Engine: V-2 diesel V12, 500hp. During WW2, the Soviet Army realized the serious threat that German armor represented and started mounting bigger guns in their tanks to get through their thick skins. The SU-100 is only really a T34 hull mated to a 100mm smoothbore gun, which could get through the thick German armor rather easily.

Oarai: Panzerkampfwagen VIII (Panzer 8) Maus superheavy tank. Main armament: 128mm KwK 44 L/55anti tank gun. Secondary: 75mm KwK 44 L/36.5 gun, 7.92mm MG34 machine gun. Crew: 6 (commander/radio operator, driver, 2 gunners, 2 loaders). Armor: max 220mm turret, 200mm hull sides, 150mm hull rear, hardened steel. Engine: MB 517 V12 diesel, 1,200hp. Contrary to popular belief, there were more than two of these made, 8 total were built, two of which made it to live combat (this information backed by a Bundeswehr soldier). The heaviest tank in history, coming in at a startling 207 standard tons. It utilized a powerful engine to drive an electric generator, which powered drive motors. Top speed wasn't very high, at an absolute maximum recorded 14 mph on paved, flat roads.

Oarai: American T29 heavy tank. Main armament: T5E2 105mm gun. Secondary: 2x M2 .50 hmg, 1x coaxial .50 hmg. Crew: 5 (commander, driver, gunner, 2 loaders). Armor: 102mm hull, 279mm gun shield, 249mm turret, hardened steel. Engine: Ford GAC V12 gasoline, 650 HP. The T29 was designed to combat the heavy German armor that the Allies were encountering. While the M4 Sherman could essentially only fight King Tigers when they outnumbered them by at least 3:1 or better, the T29 had thick enough armor and a large enough gun that it could have handled them 1:1. Sadly, this tank never made it past the trials phase.

Saunders: American M26 Pershing. Main armament: M3 90mm gun. Secondary: 2x Browning .30-06 machine guns, 1x Browning .50 machine gun. Crew: 5 (commander, driver, co driver, gunner, loader). Armor: 102mm upper hull, 76mm lower hull/turret, hardened steel. Engine: Ford GAF V8, 500 HP. The M26 Pershing tank entered service at the end of WW2 and served into the Korean war, but was eventually replaced by the Patton tank.

Saunders: American T30 heavy tank. Main armament: 155mm rifled gun. Secondary: 2x Browning M2 .50 heavy machine guns. Crew: 6 (commander, driver, gunner, radio operator, 2 loaders). Armor: 100mm hull max, 280mm turret max, hardened steel. Engine: Continental AV 1790-3 air cooled gasoline V12, 704 HP. The T30 heavy tank was designed at about the same time as the T29. Used a sizeable gun that could potentially have blown German armor apart with ease, but this vehicle also never made it past the trials phase.


	13. Chapter 12

I do not own Girls Und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

...

Side story 1 ch 2: sometimes living with it is hard.

...

Yukari and Miho managed to get back to sleep and slept till morning. As was routine, they cleaned up and had breakfast, then headed in for their tankery class. They arrived at the hangar they were to start class at and were met by Captain Chono. Everyone saluted the Captain. "Ladies, I have some good news." The Captain started. "Mr Putin wants to make a donation. He said there were quite a handful of Panzer tanks that were captured by the Soviet army during the second world war. A few of them ended up in museums, some were used by the army for target practice, but they also have a bunch that are fully restored, but are just in storage. He said the Russian army will send three of them over to the school."

Yukari and Miho smiled at the news. "Looks like our students will have a couple of Panzers to use." Miho said happily.

"See, that's the thing. One is going to the museum, and one will be for use by the school."

"What about the other one?" Yukari asked.

"As teachers, you'll need a vehicle for examinations and so on. The third will belong to you two as your own personal tank."

Yukari started getting starry eyed again, and Miho took notice. "Hon, you okay? You're getting that excited look on your face again."

"We're getting our own Panzer?" Yukari squealed.

"Yes. I mean, mainly for use at the school, but if you want to drive it around for fun, it's yours anyway."

Yukari hugged her fiancée. "Omigosh, Miho! We're getting our own Panzer!"

"You sure you can handle getting back in one?" The Captain asked.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because *ahem* of what happened. In the last one."

"That wasn't any fault of the tank. I'm just glad the Koreans didn't use a HEAT round."

...

Saori and Hana were working together in a joint exercise with the JGSDF and US Marines. Saori was acting as a forward observer, while Hana was acting as a gunner on an artillery battery. The Marines would point out targets and she would call them in. Hana would adjust the gun and fire. If the round was off, Saori would call in corrections that Hana would make and fire again. Her skills having been honed through tankery and then the Child's War, it took little time at all to adjust and put rounds on the correct target.

The JGSDF commander for the base was taking notice of how well Saori and Hana worked together as a forward observer and gunner. He wrote down notes before and after every round was fired. "Those two seem to mesh really well. How do they do it at that age?" He asked his lieutenant.

"Sir, they were in the tankery class under Captain Ami Chono." Lt replied.

"That was all her teaching?"

"No sir, they were involved in the Child's War. The ones from memorial hill at Sakibe rifle range."

The commander looked out toward the field for a moment. "Hmm. Bring them in when the exercise is finished."

Once everything was concluded, Saori and Hana were brought in for the commander. Everyone saluted before he began his questions. "Ladies, I hear you were in the war."

"Yes sir." They both replied.

"That must've been horrible, having to be tossed into a senseless war at such a young age. It doesn't seem to have affected you very much, at least not in a negative way. You're taking less time to get shells on target than the others, and you're using less rounds for spotting."

"That was something we actually picked up during the battle at the infirmary, when they deployed a number ofP'okp'ung Ho tanks, as well as a couple of the Neugdae tanks." Hana said.

"Where did you get that from in that frenzy?"

"The Ghosts." Saori answered.

The commander stopped for a moment. "Ghosts, huh?"

"What do you mean, Ghosts?" Lt asked.

"They're a specialist unit. Don't worry about it." The commander said. "I imagine it must've been a sight to see them dropping tanks."

"Oh, it was. I only saw them because of the thermal sights on the tank." Hana added.

"Sir, there's only the record of Russian SF troopers being there, the ones who took the Koksan battery."

"And just who do you think called in the KPA positions? Do you think they simply fired at random, with the ungodly range of the Koksan and no line of sight, and put shells on target with that kind of accuracy? The Spetsnaz are good, but I don't think they'd even attempt to take shots like those without eyes on the field."

"But sir, there was no other specialist unit registered on any channels."

"Because special units like to announce that they're coming, right?" Hana asked, with clear sarcasm.

The Lt became upset at her joke. "What the hell did you just say?"

"Shut your mouth, lieutenant. These ladies helped save this country. Where were you when the Koreans attacked?"

"Sir, I was-"

"I said shut it."

...

Sodoko, Gomoyo and Pazomi were keeping up with their duties as the morals committee heads. Most days, Sodoko would stay out front of the school and check the students in as she had done before the war. She wouldn't write any students up for being a little late, and often wouldn't write up the students who were very late, rather she would give them verbal warnings. After seeing what she thought was her fault marked in her final resting place, she backed off of everyone as she had promised.

One time, a student showed up late and she seemed to be walking slowly. "Hey, you alright? You need to go to the nurse's office?" Sodoko asked.

"Hmm? No. I'm... I'll be fine." The student said, with a certain smell on her breath.

"Pardon me?"

"I'll be okay. I just had a rough night."

Sodoko could smell it more clearly now. She was picking up the smell of alcohol. "Are you drunk? What the hell are you doing drinking? You're not even old enough!"

Gomoyo and Pazomi walked up to join her, hearing her rarely raised voice. "I already said I'll be fine."

"The hell you will! You're not-"

Sodoko was about to blow her top, but in that brief moment before letting the student have it, she saw Mako flash before her eyes and she froze up. "Midoriko, what's wrong?" Gomoyo asked.

Sodoko started shaking all over and she closed her eyes. "I'm... I'm... I... Can't..." She stammered out, shaking more violently now.

"Sodoko, let's go sit down." Pazomi said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait, what's going on?" The student asked, not sure what she had done.

"This is something we've gotta deal with. Go to the principal's office, we'll handle you later." Gomoyo told her.

Sodoko fell to her knees, shaking and crying. "I saw her again!" She said with a tremble in her voice.

"Who?" Pazomi asked.

"Reizei. I saw her face. I could see every time I yelled at her, every time I wrote her up, and..."

"We're here for you. Just tell us what you need."

"I don't know what I need."

The student who had been sent in asked the nurse to go out and help Sodoko. She showed up and started checking her out. She called an ambulance to have her taken to the hospital, since there was no way she could be treated at school.

...

Yukari and Miho were in the middle of class when both of their phones buzzed with a message. It was from Saori, asking them to come to the hospital, for Sodoko. They asked the Captain if they could leave and she let them go. They called a cab and rushed out to meet it.

The ride took what felt like forever. When they stopped, they paid and ran into the hospital. Saori and Hana met them and led them to the room where Sodoko was. They went in and saw her sitting up on the bed, rocking back and forth as she held her knees. She looked over and saw Anglerfish and stopped. "Hey, Midoriko. We heard... What happened... How are you feeling?" Miho asked as everyone walked up to the bed.

"There... Was a student who came in late. I was going to just let her go with a verbal warning when I smelled alcohol on her breath. I got really mad and was about to start yelling, then I saw her face."

"A student was drinking?" Hana asked. "That sounds like something that's a real problem. You would've been right to punish her."

"I know. But when I was about to, o remembered every write up, every scolding, everything. I just... I just stopped. I swore that day that I would never be harsh with a student again. I very nearly broke that promise."

Everyone looked at each other, then back at her. "After the finals, you erased her bad records, just like you promised. Mako might have had issues with punctuality and attendance, but she never showed up drunk." Miho told her. "If you would've disciplined the other student, it wouldn't have been out of place or going against your promise."

"It just brought up all of those feelings. I never want to push anyone like that again. By the way, can you do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"Take me there. To her resting place."

Everyone agreed to take her there when she was released.

...

Sodoko was released officially to Miho and Yukari, as they were teachers at the school. They went to the cemetery and walked over to Mako's plot. Sodoko looked at the headstone and started tearing up. She took a knee and put her hand on the plot. "Reizei, I almost broke my promise. I almost went back to what I used to be. I feel like you being here was my fault. You had a medical condition, yes. But damn..." She started crying again. "I saw you and I just felt so bad. I don't expect forgiveness, I'm not worth it, but I'm sorry."

"We already forgave you." Miho said.

"But she can't. Not like I'd deserve it."

"You'll be throwing everything away if you don't act like yourself." Yukari told her.

"Yeah, we can never have her back, but if you don't act like yourself, your promise is nil. Try to cheer up." Saori added.

Sodoko picked herself up and faced them. "I'll try. I still feel really bad, but I'll do it."

...

Sodoko managed to fall asleep that night, still hurting from her earlier episode. She didn't bother setting an alarm, as the school council told her to take the day off.

She felt herself getting up from bed and walking into the kitchen for some water. She didn't feel her feet touching the floor, which was strange. She got her water and turned around. She saw Mako standing in front of her. Sodoko dropped her glass, which didn't break, but also fell flat enough to not spill any water. "Mako-how are you-" she stopped and rubbed her eyes. "This can't be real."

"It is. How ironic that ghosts scared me so much, but now I am one." Mako replied.

"You're here to haunt me, aren't you? I deserve it if you decide to do it."

"No. Ghosts are just people who have unfinished business. I saw you crying over my grave earlier. I can't find rest until I help you past this."

"I pushed you like that. Didn't that make you want to... Do... What you did?"

Mako's ghost closed her eyes. "No. I knew the whole time you were just doing it for my own good. Aside from that, you erased all of my absentee and tardy data just like you promised."

Sodoko started to feel a little better, but not quite 100%. "I felt horrible. I really thought it was me. You really don't blame me?"

"Not at all. If you feel like you want my forgiveness, you have it. Just do me a couple of favors."

Sodoko nodded her head. "Anything. Name it."

"If a student gets out of line, you can punish them. Just, you know, like your promise, don't be harsh all the time. I mean, I know about the student. That was unacceptable on her part."

"Okay."

"And most importantly, just live your life and be happy."

"Okay. I'll do that."

"You take care, now." Mako said.

She leaned in and hugged Mako.

...

Sodoko jumped awake in a cold sweat. She looked around and nothing seemed out of place. She walked into the kitchen and her foot knocked something over. Then, she felt something wet on her foot. She looked down and saw a glass of water that had been knocked over. "That was real?" She asked the empty home.

She felt a cool breeze up her neck and she turned around. Nobody was there, but she felt like she knew who it was. "Thanks, Mako. You take care too."


	14. Chapter 13

I do not own Girls und Panzer in any form. This is a work of fanfiction.

...

Side story 2: wedding bells

...

The memory of the war was still there, but everyone was moving on in their own ways. Yukari and Miho spent their time as instructors at Oarai academy, taking over when Chono was promoted to Major and given a new assignment. Saori and Hana did their duties as soldiers with the JGSDF. They all still gathered at memorial Hill as they had since the war, and would sometimes see either girls from the other schools who were thrown into the fire like everyone else had been.

In their off time, Yukari and Miho would often go out on dates, everything from simply walking down the boardwalk to getting dinner and seeing a movie. Their love has grown steadily since their first kiss, and although it may have been a request from Shiho, Yukari had every intention to marry Miho. They couldn't afford a grand wedding, and refused help with the wedding since they wanted to do their own thing. Shiho wanted to give them a good reception, to which they agreed.

...

About a week before the wedding, Yukari went home to see her parents. They knew she was engaged to Miho, and they knew they were planning on having a child together at some point, which made them both very happy. "Our little girl, now a lady, about to be married." Yoshiko said, wrapping Yukari up in a hug.

Jungorou also showed his affection by hugging the both of them. "You'll be a Nishizumi soon, huh? You'll still be an Akiyama at heart though."

"I'll be taking her name, yeah. But maybe when I have a baby, we can give him or her the Akiyama name."

They both jumped at what she had just said. "Have a baby? You too? How are you going to set that up?" Yoshiko asked.

"Artificially. She's going to have the first, though." Yukari said happily.

"You're going to have two kids?" Jungorou asked.

"Yeah, we were planning on that. So you'll be grandparents." Yukari chuckled lightly.

"We're going to be grandparents. Our daughter is a war hero and we're going to be grandparents." Jungorou said happily.

"What? I'm not really a war hero, I was just injured because of it." Yukari said.

"You fought in the war, and you were there at the last battle. You served as inspiration for the others, seeing that even when you were almost killed, you still got along through it all. You're our hero, at least."

...

Miho similarly went to visit her mother. She went to see her at her office, which was the place she spent most of her time at. She went in and Shiho stood up to run over and give her a hug. "Miho, honey, good to see you. How are things? Decided to let me pay for the wedding?"

"Mom, we've been over this. We're getting a Justice of the Peace. This part is for us to take care of." Miho told her.

"Well, I'm still paying for the reception."

"That's fine."

"I also want to send you two on your honeymoon."

"You don't have to do that, I mean you're already going to get the reception." Miho said with a sigh.

"And the honeymoon. Honey, your happiness is my concern here. Let me do that for you."

"Alright, you can get that too. Anyway, I wanted to ask you about things. What's it like, being married?"

Shiho sat back down at her desk. "It's the culmination of your love with your partner. That you've experienced everything else, that your mind and body are the last things you can give to them. And once you give those to your partner, you are truly complete. That's my interpretation, anyway."

Miho thought about what Shiho said and felt like it was true of herself and Yukari. "Wow, mom. That was beautiful. I can't wait until we're married."

...

When they got home, Yukari started making dinner and Miho started a load of laundry. When it was going, she rejoined her fiance in the kitchen, hugging her from behind. "What's the most beautiful woman in the world cooking for us?"

Yukari stepped to the side and handed Miho the spatula. "It looks like she's cooking burgers." Yukari chuckled, giving Miho a kiss.

"You sneak. What am I gonna do with you?"

Yukari took the spatula back. "You could maybe help me by getting the fryer going for the fries."

Miho pulled the fryer from the cabinet and put it on the counter, filled it with oil and plugged it in. "So, we're only a week away from the biggest day of our lives. Until we have children, that is. How do you feel?"

Yukari checked the burgers, but didn't flip them. "My heart gets beating faster thinking about it. What about you?"

"I feel like I'm about to burst from excitement, I just keep thinking about the day."

Soon enough, dinner was ready and they sat down to eat. Yukari had been getting better at cooking, and started picking up recipes online to make her own cookbook. Yukari took their plates and started soaking them in the sink, then returned to the couch. When she sat down, Miho turned her and picked up her feet to start rubbing them. Yukari laid back and let it happen. After a few minutes if rubbing each foot, Miho crawled up on top of Yukari, coming in for a loving kiss.

...

When the big day came, Yukari and Miho dressed up in their best attire, and their parents were all present. Hana and Saori also showed for the event, wearing their dress uniforms. They filled out all of the paperwork, Hana and Saori signed as witnesses. The JP stamped everything and made copies, handing Miho and Yukari theirs. They both felt an unmeasurable happiness when they saw the names "Miho Nishizumi and Yukari Nishizumi". They looked at each other and had their first kiss as a married couple. Everyone clapped an joined them together for a large group hug.

Keeping her word, Shiho didn't pay for a wedding, but did set up the reception. It was a sizeable affair, a gathering large enough to accommodate all of the schools that were in the war, and had special guests such as General Kiyofumi. Jungorou stood to make a toast. "Before all of this started, we only had our little girl. She went through a good deal of pain, and went on to serve in the war, helping keep everyone's spirits up. My wife and myself are happy beyond our wildest dreams that she's married to the woman she loves."

After a light applause, Shiho also stood to toast them. "I raised my daughters to be brave, to be strong, but also to be kind and compassionate. You've both loved to be all of those things. Maho may only be here in spirit, but I feel like she's happy to see her sister married to the most important woman in her life."

Another light applause and everyone started mingling and eating. The newlywed couple spoke to everyone as they came up and congratulated them. After seeing everyone, Yukari took Miho over to a scenic overlook and held her close. "Yukari Nishizumi. That has a certain ring to it." Yukari said to her now wife. "Do you feel different? I sure do."

"It's just like my mom said, our love was so great, we would feel complete by taking this step. Next step is... Tonight. Then after that, we work on making an addition." Miho replied, kissing her wife.

"Tonight..." Yukari started, thinking about intimacy. "Umm, well, it is our wedding day. How are we supposed to do this?"

"I bought something for tonight."

...

The night finally came and the Nishizumi wives were ready to be totally intimate with each other. Miho picked Yukari up and carried her across the threshold. She sat her down and locked the door behind them. They went into the bedroom and undressed, facing away from each other until they were fully nude. When they turned around, they both looked at one another for a moment, before finally coming together for a kiss. Miho pulled a box out from under the bed and opened it. It was a detachable marital aid, and she put it on Yukari first. "So, we're going to do it with this? Okay."

Miho laid on the bed and spread her legs enough to let her wife get into place. Yukari started by kissing Miho on her feet, then up her legs, stopping to pay attention to Miho's lady spot. She kissed and licked for a moment, then kept going. She kissed her breasts and finally made it up to meet her face to face. She gently started pushing the toy inside Miho, going until it was in all the way. Miho pulled her down and locked lips with her while she started stroking. Miho reached down with her right hand and started groping Yukari's behind. Yukari kept going until Miho let her know she had enough. Yukari slowly removed the toy from Miho and then took it off. "That was amazing. First time as a married couple feels great." Miho chuckled.

Miho then put the toy on herself, and patted the bed to signal Yukari to lay down for hers. Yukari laid down and Miho wasted no time getting to work. She started by licking her spot and getting her going. She moved up and licked her belly button while she groped her breasts. When it was her time, Yukari put her hands up and let Miho get to it. She put the toy inside Yukari and began moving her hips back and forth, as well as side to side. It took almost no time for Yukari to be passed over the top. Miho pulled the toy out and put it away, then laid on top of Yukari as they kissed. "That's different from just using fingers." Yukari said, her energy now spent.

"Well, next we work on getting me pregnant. But we can put that off for a few months."

"We'll do it again that night too, right?" Yukari asked as she kissed Miho.

"You know we're going to do that for more than just procreation, right? We can go again tomorrow night if you want." Miho said, kissing and nibbling on the side of her neck.

Yukari blushed at the offer. "Yeah, that sounds good."

...


End file.
